UK porn site traffic plunges since age checks - but VPN use up
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the worldSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailSign up to our free Morning Headlines emailPorn sites have seen a drop in UK-based traffic since age checks became mandatory earlier this year, but the use of software to bypass viewing restrictions has surged.Communications watchdog Ofcom noted a sharp and immediate fall in visits to popular online porn sites from 25 July, when the enforcement of Highly Effective Age Assurance (HEAA) came in, according to its annual Online Nation report. Pornhub, which remains the most visited adult content provider in the UK, saw a 1.5 million viewer drop in year-on-year figures when the regulator compared the 11.3 million viewers from August 2024 to the 9.8 million in the same month this year.Adult sites in the UK were forced to implement age assurance as part of the Online Safety Act in a measure government officials and the communications watchdog claimed would help stop children from coming across explicit content online. open image in galleryFarage said children could circumvent Online Safety Act restrictions using VPNs(PA) (PA Wire)Visitor numbers for the 10 most-visited pornography services in the UK have subsequently settled at a “lower level” than before 25 July. In one month alone, between July and August this year, Pornhub saw a 31 per cent drop in unique visitors, while xHamster saw a 28 per cent fall and xvideos witnessed a 24 per cent plummet, according to the watchdog.Meanwhile, VPN (virtual private network) usage more than doubled in the UK following the age verification mandate, rising from about 650,000 daily users before 25 July and peaking at over 1.4m in mid-August 2025. The figure has gradually declined to around 900,000 in November. The watchdog has suggested that the decline in visitor numbers combined with the increase in VPN usage may be due to: “visitors’ unwillingness or inability to complete the age assurance check”. “Use of a VPN can provide users with additional privacy and security. They can also be used to access sites with geographic restrictions by allowing the user to appear to be making the visit from another country, thereby enabling UK users to access pornography services without going through age assurance.”open image in galleryIn one month alone, Pornhub saw a 31 per cent drop in unique visitors after the age verification rule (AFP via Getty Images)Critics such as Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have claimed that the Online Safety Act had practical issues, suggesting that children might be able to circumvent the rules by using VPNs to mask their identity and location.Ofcom’s data doesn’t indicate whether the VPN uptick is linked more to underaged people, or privacy concerned adults, trying to watch explicit content. But it does follow research from Childnet last week which saw almost a quarter (24 per cent) of young people say they had started using VPNs in the past three months, consistent with the number who started using them a year ago (21 per cent).While the most popular reasons children gave for using the software was safety online and protecting privacy, 16 per cent said they were using them to get around parental controls and 10 per cent said they had used VPNs to look at things they were not supposed to see at their age. Research showed no spike in children using VPNs for the first time following age checks being rolled out in July 2025.Some adult sites, such as Chaturbate, saw their visitor figures remain stable, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom suggested it was because the site requires payment for private “cam” shows and token purchase for interactions, so visitors “may have already been accustomed to some level of friction between themselves and the paid-for adult content.”
