UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.

Immediate Drop in User Figures After Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—surged after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

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

Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the digital age.