UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Regulator

Access to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to major pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—surged after 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.

This research was carried out before new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

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