UK Adult Content Traffic Falls After Age Checks, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.

Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt fall in traffic to leading pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that require platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.

Proposed changes to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded 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.
• Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.