UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Access to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has risen.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an swift decline in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits continued beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by masking connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who shared it.

This research was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

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

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.

Proposed changes to government bills aim to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.