UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Surges, States Regulator

Access to adult content websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.

Sharp Drop in User Figures After Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

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

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.

This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Review of Pornography Laws

In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Proposed changes to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies 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 private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.