UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Traffic to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.

Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate decline in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it.

This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

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

Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.

Suggested changes to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.

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