UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline 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 significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter 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 casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.