British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this slump in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter 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 using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal 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.
