LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — An adult content giant, which owns Pornhub, YouPorn and Redtube, said Tuesday it had partially reopened access to new United Kingdom (UK) users, having blocked them in February, citing protection of minors.

Cyprus-based Aylo said in a statement it was “taking a measured step to restore access to Pornhub for eligible adult users in the UK” who have passed age verification checks.

The restored access would apply to Apple iPhone and iPad users who have updated their devices to run on the tech giant’s latest iOS 26.4 operating system.

“Apple has introduced the world’s first ever device-based age verification solution for its users in the UK,” it added, calling this “a major first step towards a global solution that stands to better protect children everywhere”.

The company noted the new operating system “applies certain safety settings automatically to kids, teens, and adults who have not confirmed their age”.

Aylo earlier this year claimed that the UK’s Online Safety Act requiring age verification had “diverted traffic to darker, unregulated corners of the internet” and had “not achieved its goal of protecting minors”.

UK rules that entered into force last July require porn sites to carry out strict age verification checks through tools such as facial imagery or credit card identification — or face hefty fines.

Aylo has blocked its sites also in France and in certain US states for similar reasons.

The European Union meanwhile in March accused Pornhub and three other pornographic platforms of allowing children to access adult content in breach of digital rules, putting the companies at risk of large fines.

Following Aylo’s announcement Tuesday, Britain’s media watchdog Ofcom said it “will carefully scrutinise these changes”.

“The Online Safety Act is clear that the responsibility for preventing children from accessing porn falls firmly on sites and apps,” it said in a statement.