UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Later data suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Young People Responding to Harmful Material

In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.

This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses 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 seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.