British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, States Regulator

Access to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.

Surge in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—surged following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the user who posted it.

This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.

Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.