UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, But VPN Usage Surges, States Watchdog

Traffic to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this decline in site visits continued past August.

Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking connections through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This research was conducted before new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
• Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.