UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has surged.

Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

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

Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.