British Adult Content Traffic Falls After Age Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt fall in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who posted it.

This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.

Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
• Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.