UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Regulator

Access to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased.

Immediate Fall in User Figures After Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this slump in viewing continued past August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—surged following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material

Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Review of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations

Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults 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 plays the role of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.