UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator

Traffic to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in visits to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Later analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking connections via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.

This research was carried out before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations

Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.

Proposed changes to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.

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