British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Watchdog

Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.

This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

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

“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations

Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested changes to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.