UK Adult Content Traffic Falls After Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog

Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this decline in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.

This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Tighter Online Regulations

Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.