UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Regulator

Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.

Sharp Fall in User Figures After Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—surged following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

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

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Online Regulations

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

Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.