UK Adult Content Traffic Falls After Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog

Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased.

Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.

This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.

Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Regulations

Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.