PornHub, YouPorn, and RedTube have stopped streaming their content in France for several days. However, many French people continue to access it, which raises questions about the effectiveness of the provisions of the SREN law, which is currently under debate.
Although no concrete measures have yet led to the blocking of PornHub, YouPorn, and RedTube in France, the three sites have been inaccessible since June 4, 2025. Aylo – the group to which they belong – has in fact decided to self-censor to avoid complying with the law.
You can therefore still visit these three sites, but their content is no longer accessible. Through a protest page with the slogan "freedom has no off button," Aylo expresses her disagreement with the SREN law, whose provisions tighten the noose on adult content sites that do not implement mechanisms to protect minors.
Why is PornHub and YouPorn content no longer accessible in France?
For several years, adult content sites have been in the crosshairs of the French authorities. The latter have been demanding strict measures to protect minors, particularly through mechanisms to verify the age of visitors. But it is clear that to date, the majority of the sites concerned have done nothing to comply. A simple declaration of honor via a pop-up is enough for a visitor to indicate that they are 18 years of age or older.
With the SREN law adopted by parliament in April 2024, ARCOM now has much more power to force pornographic sites to comply with the rules. The Regulatory Authority can now directly order the blocking and delisting of recalcitrant sites. Previously, a court decision was required, which made the procedure long and tedious.
For several months, all X-rated content sites established in France and outside the European Union have been required to implement mechanisms compliant with the Arcom framework for verifying the age of visitors. Failure to do so exposes them to sanctions, including blocking in France.
For sites established in a country other than France within the EU, a government decree must produce a list before the Arcom procedure. On March 6, 2025, a first decree targeted 17 sites that must comply. Among them are three sites from the Aylo group (PornHub, YouPorn, and RedTube), as well as other popular sites such as Xvideos, xHamster, Tukif, and XNXX.
To avoid complying with the law, Aylo decided to take the lead by suspending access to its content in France.
How do the French circumvent the blocking of PornHub, YouPorn, and RedTube?
It's a well-known method, and many users of these sites already use it. To bypass the self-censorship of PornHub, YouPorn, and Redtude in France, simply use a VPN and connect to a server located outside of France.
The day after June 4, NordVPN already announced that it had recorded an increase in activity of around 170%, almost triple the usual figures. The explosion in VPN use has been a general trend in recent days in France.
For the time being, VPNs are the only way to regain access to the content of the Aylo group's sites. Since Arcom has not requested them to be blocked, Internet service providers have taken no measures to make them inaccessible. The method of changing DNS settings therefore does not work in this case.
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