UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Later analysis shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was carried out prior to new regulations 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 feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls

Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.