UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.

Sharp Fall in User Figures After Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an swift fall in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws

In a related development, 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 review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.