EXCLUSIVE - Sen.James Lankford, R-Okla., is accusing Pornhub of "preying on children" in a sharply worded letter Friday responding to the adult website's campaign against age-verification laws, arguing the company is more concerned about protecting its customer base than shielding minors from explicit content.In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, Lankford rebuked Pornhub's July 28 message to state lawmakers opposing age-verification requirements, saying the company "has no interest in protecting children" and suggesting it fears losing users if minors are prevented from accessing its content."Pornhub preys on children," Lankford wrote in the letter directed to Solomon Friedman, a partner and the vice president of compliance for Ethical Capital Partners (ECP), the private equity firm that acquired MindGeek, the parent company of Pornhub, which has since been rebranded as Aylo.INDIANA REPUBLICAN SENATOR MOVES TO BLOCK KIDS FROM ACCESSING PORN ONLINESen.
James Lankford walks through the Capitol in Washington, D.C., on March 23, 2026.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)"It exposes them to horrific sexual content and does nothing to ensure that children are not sexually abused in the content it hosts," Lankford wrote.
"Pornhub’s letter suggests that tech companies should be responsible for protecting children from pornography."He continued, "Lawmakers can and should hold tech companies accountable for the harm they pose to children.But that should not preclude state and federal lawmakers from holding platforms like Pornhub accountable for the harm it causes.
Pornhub’s letter fails to say the quiet part out loud: Pornhub would lose customers if children were prohibited from viewing its content."On July 28, Pornhub sent a letter to state lawmakers shared by the Tallahassee Democrat, criticizing age-verification laws like the one in Florida, one of at least 25 states to enact such requirements.The pornography site wrote, "We are writing to you because, as a community, we...