UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has surged.

Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers After Law Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.

This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world.

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

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

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

Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.

The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.