Photo by cottonbro studio
The number of UK users accessing leading pornography websites has dropped significantly following the introduction of stricter age verification requirements, according to new data.
Figures from data analytics firm Similarweb show that major adult content platform Pornhub lost over one million visitors within just two weeks of implementing the new checks. The changes were introduced on 25 July in response to the Online Safety Act, which mandates that adult websites take stronger measures to prevent under-18s from viewing explicit content.
Similarweb compared daily average traffic figures to the most popular pornographic sites from 1 to 9 August with those from July. Pornhub, the UK’s most visited adult website, saw a 47% decrease in traffic between 24 July (the day before the new rules took effect) and 8 August.
XVideos, another major adult platform, experienced a similar 47% drop, while OnlyFans saw its UK traffic fall by more than 10% over the same period.
In July, Pornhub averaged 3.2 million daily visits from UK users. In the first nine days of August, this number had dropped to just 2 million.
However, the data also revealed a notable rise in visits to smaller, less strictly regulated adult sites, suggesting that some users may be shifting their habits to avoid the new age checks.
A spokesperson for Pornhub told the BBC: “As we’ve seen in many jurisdictions around the world, there is often a drop in traffic for compliant sites and an increase in traffic for non-compliant sites.”
The decline in traffic to mainstream sites also coincides with a spike in downloads of virtual private network (VPN) apps. In the days following the implementation of the age verification rules, VPNs became the most downloaded category on Apple’s App Store in the UK. VPNs allow users to mask their location online, making it appear as though they are browsing from another country and potentially bypassing location-based restrictions or monitoring.
This surge in VPN use may also complicate efforts to collect accurate geographic data on adult site traffic, as users increasingly obscure their true online locations.
Ofcom, the UK’s media regulator, estimates that around 14 million people in the UK access online pornography. Under the new guidelines, websites must verify a user’s age through various methods, such as credit card checks, AI-driven age estimation using selfies, or matching with official photo ID.
While the age checks aim to protect minors from accessing adult content, critics have raised concerns about potential unintended consequences. Some experts warn that users may be pushed toward more dangerous or extreme content found on unregulated sites or even within the dark web.
Despite the drop in traffic to the most prominent adult websites, the broader impact of the Online Safety Act’s enforcement is still unfolding. As regulators and platforms adapt to the new requirements, ongoing debates over privacy, internet freedom, and child protection continue to shape the digital landscape.
