UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, Yet VPN Usage Surges, Reports Regulator

Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this slump in viewing continued past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking connections via another nation—surged after 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Young People Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content 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 performers dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.