UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Traffic to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.

Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks

In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—surged following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.

Suggested changes to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.