British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—surged after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This research was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using youthful adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints 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.
