Italy's New Age Verification Rules Hit Pornhub and OnlyFans

Italy's New Age Verification Rules now apply to 45 adult and porn-adjacent platforms accessed from Italian IP addresses. On November 12, 2025, Italy's communications authority, AGCOM, published the list and set out the compliance deadline for the named services.

Which platforms are on AGCOM's list?

The list includes several of the biggest names in online adult entertainment:

• Aylo-owned platforms: Pornhub, RedTube, and YouPorn
• Tube platform: xHamster
• Live cam platform: Chaturbate
• Subscription platform: OnlyFans

Every listed service must check that users connecting from Italy are 18 or older. The verification must use certified third-party providers. Acceptable options include dedicated age-check services, mobile network operators, and banks that already hold verified customer identity data.

How does Italy's system differ from the UK's?

The reported difference is the frequency of the check. The UK's model lets users verify once per site, while Italy's rules reportedly require re-verification on every visit to each listed platform. That extra step could create more friction for viewers and put immediate pressure on traffic to major sites.

Italy's compliance timeline

• May 2025: Italy's age-verification law enters into force.
• November 12, 2025: Compliance deadline for the 45 named platforms.
• Ongoing: AGCOM is expected to expand its list as enforcement identifies more non-compliant sites.

Platforms that fail to comply face fines of up to €250,000, approximately $290,000 USD, per violation.

What the UK rollout suggests about traffic

Italy's approach follows the UK's July 2025 rollout of stricter age checks. Pornhub and other large platforms recorded sharp traffic drops after the UK requirements took effect. Aylo, Pornhub's parent company, reported a 77% decline in UK visits shortly after implementation.

The UK figures did not show users abandoning adult content altogether. Instead, traffic shifted toward smaller, less-regulated sites that had delayed implementation or remained outside regulators' immediate view.

Enforcement also became harder to contain. Ofcom opened investigations into dozens of smaller porn sites accused of non-compliance, while many users turned to VPNs or offshore platforms to bypass restrictions.

Italy could see the same short-term pattern: sharp reductions for major platforms and a temporary increase for smaller, less visible services. AGCOM's expected expansion of the list would put pressure on that second group as enforcement broadens.

Could an EU privacy-focused system reduce the friction?

Italy is one of five EU member states currently piloting an age-verification application developed by the European Commission. The tool is designed to prove age without exposing a user's full identity information, giving platforms a privacy-preserving way to meet the requirement.

If the pilot succeeds, the application could become a standard solution across the EU for porn age verification. That may reduce the burden of repeated checks while keeping platforms compliant.

What changes for users and platforms?

• Italian users: More login steps, possible VPN use, or a move toward unregulated sites.
• Major platforms: Short-term traffic losses, higher compliance costs, and pressure to develop privacy-friendly verification.
• Smaller sites: A possible short-term traffic increase until AGCOM expands enforcement.
• Broader EU: Italy's approach is likely to influence age-verification rules elsewhere in Europe.

As 2026 begins, the open question is practical: will repeated age checks reduce underage access, or will they push viewers toward less-regulated corners of the internet? AGCOM's expanding list and future enforcement actions will shape that answer.