British Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Sharp Drop in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Young People Responding 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 research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Controls

Advocates for tighter 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 casting youthful performers dressed as children.

Suggested changes to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.