UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.

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

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.

Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.