Transparency reports and uploader verification are about illegal content and accountability, not about keeping children away from adult sites. Pornhub's operator has published reports since 2021, but parents still need their own layers: device controls, a family DNS filter on the router, the RTA label, and regular open conversation with their child.
What these reports are
A transparency report is a document in which a platform describes what it removed, what was flagged and how many legal requests it received. Pornhub's operator published its first one in 2021, covering 2020. Press coverage at the time described hundreds of thousands of flagged or removed items across categories, with human and automated review, though the figures were company-reported.
Reports are useful for understanding how a company works. They are not a safety rating.
What reports and verification do not cover
Moderation focuses on illegal and non-consensual material. Verification focuses on who uploads. Neither is designed to stop a child opening an adult site. A site can have a strong report and still be reachable from a child's phone.
That is why age checks laws exist, and why parents cannot rely on the platform alone.
Layer one: the device
- iPhone and iPad: Settings, Screen Time, Content and Privacy Restrictions, Web Content, Limit Adult Websites.
- Android: Family Link, then Chrome settings to block explicit sites, and approval for installs.
- Windows: Microsoft Family Safety website filtering.
Set a passcode your child does not know, and review settings every few months as they grow.
Layer two: the network
A family DNS filter on your home router blocks adult categories for every device on your Wi-Fi. Many sites carry the RTA label so filters can recognise them, so check that yours reads it.
| Layer | Covers | Weak spot |
|---|---|---|
| Device controls | One phone | Other browsers |
| Router filter | Home Wi-Fi | Mobile data |
| Platform moderation | Illegal content | Does not block children |
| Conversation | Everything | Needs trust |
Layer three: talking
Explain calmly that some sites are for adults, why, and that your child will not be punished for telling you about something upsetting. Teenagers will look for ways around filters, so honesty works better than secrecy.
Agree some family rules together, such as charging devices outside bedrooms overnight and talking before installing apps.
If something goes wrong
If your child sees something upsetting, stay calm, listen, and avoid blame. If content appears to involve a minor, do not share or copy it. Use the guidance on this site, and contact the police or a national hotline.
If your child receives a threatening message or a demand for money, keep screenshots, do not pay, and report it. These scams are widely reported and are designed to frighten.
Reading a report critically
When you open a transparency report, look at what is counted and what is not. Numbers of removals can rise because more harmful content was found, or because detection improved, or because more content was published. A rising figure is not automatically bad, and a falling one is not automatically good. Context matters, as does whether an outside party has checked the numbers.
Look for definitions, for how long each category took to resolve, and for whether the report is repeated on a regular schedule. A one-off report is less useful than a series. Compare the company's own account with what regulators and journalists have said, and remember that settlements, such as the 2025 US agreement with its independent audits, add outside checks that a self-published report cannot provide.
For parents, the most practical reading is simple: reports show that a company has systems for illegal content, which is welcome, but they say nothing about whether your own child can reach the site. That job belongs to you and to the tools on your family devices.
One last practical tip: keep the date of each report next to your notes. Policies and numbers change, so a report from 2021 tells you about 2020 and not about today. If you want a current picture, look for the most recent edition, then read independent news coverage of the same period to see whether journalists, regulators or researchers reached similar conclusions.
Reading this way takes a few minutes and gives you a far better basis for judging any platform's safety claims than a headline or a single statistic.
Parents who like numbers can also ask a simple question of any report: what would a worse year look like, and would this document show it? If the answer is unclear, rely more heavily on your own controls, regular check-ins with your child and independent reporting about the platform.
Finally, remember that your child may meet adult material in many places, not only on one site. Search results, group chats and social feeds all carry risk, so the same layers should apply across every app and device in your home.
Key takeaways
- Transparency reports describe moderation, not child access.
- Verification is about uploaders, not viewers.
- Use device controls, a router filter and the RTA label together.
- Keep conversation open and free of blame.
- Report illegal content and never share it.
Frequently asked questions
This article is general information, not legal, financial or medical advice. Details about third-party services are based on public information and may change.