British Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged.

Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing connections through another nation—surged following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.

Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded 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 stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.