Pornhub announced its premium accounts (usually a $9.99/monthly fee) would be free for 30 days to encourage more people to stay home and “flatten the curve.” As the announcement made headlines, so too did the worries of prominent conservative pundit Tony Perkins as he warned listeners of his Christian talk-radio show, Washington Watch.“The predators are out as people, including children, find themselves with more time on their hands, porn pushers like Pornhub are making their content more accessible providing it free of charge,” warned Perkins about the dangers of free porn during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Perkins then discussed Pornhub’s coronavirus relief efforts with the chief political analyst for the Christian Broadcasting Network, David Brody, who agreed wholeheartedly with the host. Brody even took it a step further, indicating that we may be facing “a pandemic inside a pandemic” if we can’t save our children from becoming the intended prey.
“First of all, who’s paying for their porn?” asks professional dominatrix Justine Cross. “When Pornhub said they were going to make parts of their site free I was really surprised because I thought their entire site was always free.” As did almost everyone else. Free porn is what the tube sites are known for, which is why some suspect it’s an attempt to publicize the for-pay premium subscriptions and snag those reoccurring credit card payments that will automatically bill when the “free” trial is over.
“In my eyes they’re just doing something good for themselves,” says adult actress Dakota Skye, who thinks the multi-billion-dollar company that owns Pornhub isn’t as altruistic as the press releases make them out to be. Skye feels they could do more for cash-strapped performers and directors during the pandemic, most of whom are at the mercy of the conglomerate.
Skye is also frustrated with the easy access kids have to Pornhub, and agrees it’s a problem. Unlike the tube sites, sex workers and adult companies have to follow certain regulations, in addition to having payment barriers that keep underage kids at bay. “This is a huge, huge, huge issue with the children and it really pisses me off,” says Skye. “I’m not a mother but my fiancé has kids and [Pornhub’s] basically giving a free handout to kids. It’s too easy for them to get access. Yes, it’s a parental problem to handle, but it’s also Pornhub’s fault too.”
Pornhub Premium requires login credentials, which means entering an email address to create a user id and password. That might deter minors—until they realize an account can be created with any random email address and accessible without having to confirm if the email you entered was yours. There’s no obvious warning about age minimums and no box to check confirming a person’s age.
With one click on “Access Free Pornhub Premium Now,” a new user essentially agrees to the terms of service (which few read), as stated in tiny font just below the orange “entry” button that’s three times as large—“by signing up you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.” The barriers keeping kids out are almost non-existent; there are no obvious deterrents either.
Conservative leaders worry that the absence of barriers are meant to tempt would-be consumers, and that porn companies will exploit the captive audience created by the coronavirus lock-down measures. “As we see more and more people at stay-at-home order states, the porn industry is literally paying these people, in some cases offering literally free content, Pornhub being one of them,” says Perkins during his daily radio show. “It’s an industry that preys on people, [when] they offer it free of charge, it comes at a high price.”
Porn consumption has increased alongside heightened demands for social distancing and stay-at-home orders, however the increase since COVID-19 has been reasonable. Pornhub statistics revealed a 24.4 percent peak increase in traffic “on March 25th after we offered Free Pornhub Premium to encourage people to say indoors and distance themselves socially,” but that’s hardly “preying” on people.
“I think they’re concerned over the wrong thing. Yes, there is going to be a huge surge with people signing up for free memberships. Pornhub’s smart for doing that, but at the end of the day nothing’s free,” says adult actress Tana Lea, AVN nominee for Best Starlet. “You know whoever is signing up for a free trial is getting subscribed into that. Does he really think these underage kids are really going to subscribe? These kids were looking at Pornhub anyway.”
Adult actress Sophie Dee agrees with Lea: these right-wingers are focused on the wrong issue. Yes, porn consumption has increased under the stay-at-home orders but it’s not killing people, and for some it provides a much-needed outlet during times of stress. “I feel like Pornhub is doing a national service,” says Dee. “I honestly feel like domestic abuse rates are so high right now and guys jerking off need help. It’s helping them release pressure.”
According to the numbers, domestic violence is a major threat to global public health. In the first three weeks of lockdown, the number of women killed by domestic abuse in the UK was the highest it’s been in over a decade. Over 10 million people a year are affected by domestic violence. So yes, Tony Perkins and David Brody are right: there is a pandemic within a pandemic but it’s not caused by a little free porn.
