British Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Watchdog

Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has risen.

Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later data shows this slump in site visits continued past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—surged following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult 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 acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.

This research was carried out before new regulations came into force that require platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally apply to the digital age.