UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator

Traffic to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.

Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Rule Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later data shows this slump in site visits continued beyond August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—surged following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.

Government Announce Examination of Pornography Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested changes to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.