British Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator

Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement

The enforcement 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. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in site visits continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the material to the site to muting the person who shared it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.

Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.