UK Porn Traffic Drops After Age Checks as VPN Use Surges, Ofcom Reports

Published: 10 December 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Traffic to major adult platforms across the UK has shifted significantly following the introduction of mandatory age checks earlier this year, according to a detailed new assessment that highlights evolving online behaviour and raises questions about the broader impact of digital enforcement. The communications regulator Ofcom has confirmed that visits to major adult platforms dropped immediately after the 25 July enforcement date, marking a turning point in how UK users access explicit material. The findings arrive at a time of heightened scrutiny over online safety, with the government reviewing long-standing pornography laws as part of an effort to strengthen protections for children and close loopholes exploited by global platforms.

Ofcom reports that adult site traffic fell sharply once users were required to verify their age before accessing explicit content, marking the first real test of rules introduced under the Online Safety Act. The regulator notes that figures for August show Pornhub receiving 9.8 million domestic visits, representing a fall of about 1.5 million from the previous year. The decline suggests the checks created an immediate barrier that many users were either unable or unwilling to bypass. Ofcom’s annual Online Nation report adds that visitor numbers across the ten most popular adult services have stabilised at a lower level than before enforcement began, showing the changes created a sustained shift rather than a temporary reaction.

Data shared with the Guardian by Similarweb indicates this trend continued beyond the summer. The number of unique UK visitors to Pornhub reached 7.2 million last month, representing a decrease of thirty six percent compared with August last year. Other major platforms also saw declines, with Xvideos dropping twenty seven percent and Chaturbate falling eighteen percent over the same period. These figures reinforce what many observers had predicted: strict barriers lead to measurable reductions in mainstream platform visits, while driving users toward alternative routes that fall outside regulated systems.

One such route is the use of virtual private networks, which Ofcom confirms surged immediately after age checks were introduced. A virtual private network allows users to mask their location by routing their internet traffic through servers in other countries, effectively bypassing restrictions imposed on UK connections. Usage doubled between July and August, rising from about six hundred fifty thousand daily users to more than 1.4 million at its peak in mid August. The figure has since fallen to about nine hundred thousand, indicating that while initial demand was high, long-term reliance on virtual private networks remains elevated. Ofcom stresses that daily use of these tools is still much lower than visitor numbers for adult websites, suggesting many affected users decided to reduce or cease their viewing rather than circumvent restrictions.

Pornhub, which is owned by a Canadian private equity firm, said the declines were unsurprising and consistent with what has happened in other countries after strict age checks were introduced. The company argues that the changes may push users toward unregulated sites that ignore safety standards and host harmful content, undermining the goals of the Online Safety Act. This tension between safety measures and user behaviour remains central to ongoing debates about effective regulation.

Away from adult consumption patterns, Ofcom’s report highlights concerns about the digital environment for younger users. About sixty percent of eleven to seventeen year olds surveyed said they had taken steps after encountering harmful online content, often reporting posts or blocking offending users. The survey took place before new rules came into force requiring platforms to prevent minors from accessing harmful content, including material relating to suicide, self harm and pornography. The findings show that harmful material frequently appears in social media feeds, suggesting algorithmic recommendations continue to expose teenagers to inappropriate content. Group chats also feature strongly, showing how harmful posts can spread through peer networks even without searching for them.

In response to broader concerns about explicit content online, the government has announced a review of criminal law relating to pornography. Justice minister Alison Levitt told the House of Lords that the review would consider whether existing legislation remains adequate in a rapidly changing digital environment. The review will assess laws covering harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography encouraging child sexual abuse. The move signals an attempt to update decades-old definitions to reflect online realities, where content easily crosses borders and platforms vary widely in the material they host.

Campaigners have renewed calls for stricter oversight of the adult industry, urging ministers to outlaw so-called “barely legal” content, which often involves adult performers portraying teenagers in staged scenarios. Critics argue that such material normalises harmful behaviour and promotes themes linked to child sexual abuse. Conservative peer Gabby Bertin and crossbench peer Beeban Kidron have proposed amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill designed to close loopholes that allow harmful or violent content to remain accessible. Their proposals aim to extend existing offences relating to indecent images of children to include pornographic material where adults portray minors, a type of content historically restricted offline by film classification rules but still widely available online.

The campaigners also propose tighter controls on incest themed pornography. Lady Bertin said research shows incest related material is among the most commonly recommended themes for new users on major platforms. She warned that unchecked algorithms continue to push harmful content toward vulnerable groups, reinforcing the need for firm digital protections. The amendments seek to ensure the same standards applied to offline media extend to online spaces, reflecting a belief that material too harmful for physical sale should not be freely accessible on smartphones.

Another concern raised in the proposed amendments is the growing use of “nudification” software, which uses artificial intelligence to create fake nude images of real individuals. Campaigners want to make the possession or use of such technology a specific criminal offence. They argue that these tools represent a growing threat, especially to women and girls, because manipulated images can be created without consent and shared widely. The peers also propose establishing a new regulatory body dedicated to spot checking pornographic websites, working alongside Ofcom but with a sole focus on identifying and acting against illegal content.

These debates signal a pivotal moment for online safety legislation in the UK, with regulators, lawmakers and campaigners seeking to balance adult freedom, child protection and technological complexity. The fall in traffic to regulated websites shows policy interventions can reshape online behaviour, but the rise in virtual private network use shows that motivated users can still circumvent restrictions. As laws evolve, policymakers will need to address new tools and emerging avenues that platforms and their users may adopt. The coming review and potential regulatory changes may set long lasting standards for online content, shaping how explicit material is governed across a digital landscape that continues to shift.

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