UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen.

Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an swift reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to blocking the user who posted it.

This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.