British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, But VPN Use Surges, Reports Regulator

Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data shows this slump in site visits continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking connections via another nation—surged following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations

Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.