UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator

Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.

Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this slump in site visits continued past August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Tighter Online Regulations

Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban 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 changes to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.