UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator

Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has surged.

Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—surged following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.