UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an swift reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.