UK Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has increased.

Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this decline in viewing continued past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent 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 platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Laws

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

“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Controls

Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.

Proposed changes to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.