Pornhub has resumed operations in Australia, eight months after suspending access due to age verification laws. The site is now available only to adults with Apple devices who have verified their age through Apple's Australian age-verification process. On October 7, 2026, parent company Aylo announced that it would restore access for 'eligible adult users in Australia.'
The site had left the Australian market in March 2026, citing new laws that required users to prove they were over 18 to access adult content. Aylo stated that these laws would not effectively protect children and could lead to data privacy issues and exposure to content on non-compliant platforms.
In response to the new regulations, Apple implemented age checks in Australia, similar to those introduced in the UK. The Australian online safety regulator indicated that the changes aim to protect children from harmful content, with penalties for platforms that fail to comply.
Critics have raised concerns about data privacy and the potential for users to bypass age-verification technologies, such as facial recognition and digital IDs. Aylo emphasized that Apple's approach sets a standard by making child safety features default on devices unless users confirm they are adults.
Alex Kekesi, Aylo's vice-president of brand and community, stated that this method of device-based age verification is effective and protects privacy by reducing the need for users to share personal information with multiple apps and websites. Users can verify their age using a credit card, passport, driver's license, or government-issued ID. Kekesi noted that the implementation of child safety features as a default limits the effectiveness of virtual private networks (VPNs) that users might employ to bypass age verification.