UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these blocks has increased.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month 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 end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the government announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for better control of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
• Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.