UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.

Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data shows this decline in site visits persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing connections via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it.

This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Controls

Advocates for better regulation of adult content have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children.

Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.

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