British Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Verifications, But VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Traffic to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Law Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to major pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Later data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—surged following 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material

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

This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

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