British Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator

Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has surged.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken included reporting the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.

This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations

Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.

Suggested changes to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments 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.
• Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.