British Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Watchdog

Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an swift decline in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data suggests this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks

In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation

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

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls

Advocates for better control of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.