UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator

Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has surged.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt decline in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws

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 online world.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls

Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.