British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator

Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.

Sharp Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.

“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.

Suggested changes to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

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