Porn websites block Australian users ahead of age-check deadline

Australians of all ages are being blocked from accessing many of the country’s most popular porn sites ahead of a deadline to introduce age-checking requirements.

Starting next week, Australia will legally require porn websites to check the age of their users to ensure they are over 18. Many popular free video platforms owned by the world’s most popular porn company have restricted access, while many other websites have taken no steps to comply with this law.

On Friday, all Australian users, regardless of age, were unable to access content on Redtube, YouPorn and Tube8, which are all owned by Canadian porn giant Aylo, and were instead shown a message stating that the adult video tube platform “does not currently accept new account registrations in your region.”