Women on top: Pinays lead pornhub traffic, but risks linger under the covers

DECODED: TECH, TRUTH, AND THREATS

By Art Samaniego

Filipino women are transforming the landscape of adult content consumption, and the data supports this trend. According to Pornhub’s 2024 Year in Review, the Philippines now ranks third in global traffic to the platform, just behind the United States and France.

But perhaps more striking is what’s happening behind the numbers: Filipino women have quietly, consistently led the charge.

”Female visitors topped the list again this year in the Philippines, with 59 percent of their traffic being women, and a growth of +1 percent since 2023,” said in the 2024 Pornhub year in review.

For five consecutive years, women have comprised the majority of the site’s users in the Philippines.

In 2024, they accounted for 59 percent of all visits, well above the global average of 38 percent. It’s a rare inversion of the usual gender dynamic seen on adult platforms worldwide.

What’s behind this shift? Two key factors: better access to the internet and a growing cultural openness regarding female sexuality. Content trends also play a role as many Filipinas gravitate toward videos that lean intimate, romantic, or amateur in tone, a far cry from the more aggressive material that once dominated the space.

“Women now are taking charge of their own sexuality and calling the shots, exploring their sexuality and wellness on their own terms”, says ROCK N RO Founder & Jam88.3 Program Director, Roanna Ruiz.

But with that empowerment comes new vulnerabilities.

Many adult websites, especially the lesser-known ones, aren’t just risky in content. They’re dangerous in code.

Scam Watch Pilipinas warns that smaller, unverified porn sites often serve as entry points for malware, spyware, and phishing scams.

A 2019 study from Carnegie Mellon University found that 93 percent of pornography sites leak user data to third parties, with many tracking specific sexual preferences and behaviors. That information can be exploited for scams, blackmail, or identity theft.

The Philippine landscape amplifies these risks. With more than 73 percent internet penetration and an average of 10 hours online per user per day, people aren not just browsing more; they’re multitasking across platforms.

Adult sites, gambling apps, gaming portals often overlap. And when payment data or personal information is shared across them, the result is a perfect storm for cybercrime.

The dangers do not end there. Some users are unknowingly pulled into “eWhoring” schemes, where stolen adult content is recycled to scam others.

Meanwhile, the crossover between porn and gambling raises additional concerns, particularly for young users unaware of how easily their data can be cross-leveraged.

Scam Watch Pilipinas is advocating for change, including stronger privacy laws, targeted digital literacy programs for women, and enhanced mental health support for individuals caught in the web of adult content, online gaming, and gambling.

The campaign argues that acknowledging these overlapping behaviors is crucial to addressing the risks they pose.

The Philippines’ status as a top Pornhub viewer and one led by women isn’t just a headline. It’s a signal. One that reflects both progress and peril.

As Filipino women take the lead in digital spaces that men once dominated, society must keep pace. With education. With protection. And with a deeper, more open conversation about what digital empowerment really looks like.

Now is the time for lawmakers, educators, and tech professionals to support this trend by building a stronger, more informed foundation, not just for women, but for all online users in the Philippines.