When the UK’s age verification law for adult sites came into force on July 25, 2025, the impact was immediate and brutal. Within days, Britain’s biggest porn platforms lost almost half their traffic — a collapse so sharp it has stunned both the adult industry and privacy campaigners.
This isn’t just about one country tightening its grip on explicit content. It’s a live experiment the world is watching closely, from lawmakers in Brussels to state legislatures in the US. And the early numbers tell a story of drastic behavioural shifts, unexpected winners, and growing privacy fears.
Across the top 90 adult sites, monthly visits from the UK fell 23%. In raw numbers, that’s tens of millions of pageviews gone in under three weeks.
Some industry insiders told that their analytics dashboards “looked like a heart attack on a graph” the morning after the law kicked in. “We knew there would be a drop,” said one operator of a mid-sized UK platform. “We just didn’t expect it to be this savage.”
The government argues this protects children from harmful content. But digital rights advocates, including the Open Rights Group, warn that creating a database linking people’s identities to their porn habits is a privacy disaster waiting to happen.
Past attempts — notably in 2019 — failed partly because of these concerns. This time, Ofcom has regulatory teeth and is already investigating over 30 sites for potential non-compliance.
This shift creates a murkier data picture. A British user tunnelling through a Paris server now looks, to analytics tools, like a French visitor. That means real UK consumption could be higher than the official data shows — but hidden from regulators.
Several high-traffic IP ranges previously dominant in London now appear to “originate” from Amsterdam, Dublin, and Frankfurt. The law may have reduced visibility, not necessarily demand.
This creates a two-tier market: large, mainstream adult sites that follow the law and lose traffic, and nimble operators that skirt the rules and pick up fleeing users. The irony? In some cases, viewers are leaving safer, regulated sites for ones with fewer content controls, poorer security, and less oversight.
If VPN adoption remains high and non-compliant sites gain market share, other countries may hesitate to adopt copycat laws — or may try harsher enforcement, such as ISP-level blocking tied to identity verification.
In private conversations with European Commission staffers, I’ve heard a mix of fascination and caution. One policymaker told me, “We need to know if this is protecting children or just driving traffic underground.”
What’s clear is that the debate has shifted. This isn’t just a tech policy fight — it’s a cultural and political flashpoint. The sites, the regulators, and the users are all adapting in real time.
And as one adult industry veteran put it to me this week:
“Governments keep thinking they can fix this with a law. The internet has never worked that way.”
A: New age verification rules under the Online Safety Act.
Q2: How are UK users bypassing the porn site ban?
A: Many are using VPN services to avoid verification.
This isn’t just about one country tightening its grip on explicit content. It’s a live experiment the world is watching closely, from lawmakers in Brussels to state legislatures in the US. And the early numbers tell a story of drastic behavioural shifts, unexpected winners, and growing privacy fears.
What the data reveals about the post-verification crash
Figures from analytics firm Similarweb show that Pornhub’s UK visits dropped 47% in the first fortnight of enforcement — down from about 3.2 million visits per day in July to 2 million in early August. XVideos saw an identical 47% fall, while xHamster traffic declined 39%.Across the top 90 adult sites, monthly visits from the UK fell 23%. In raw numbers, that’s tens of millions of pageviews gone in under three weeks.
Some industry insiders told that their analytics dashboards “looked like a heart attack on a graph” the morning after the law kicked in. “We knew there would be a drop,” said one operator of a mid-sized UK platform. “We just didn’t expect it to be this savage.”
How the age verification law works — and why it’s controversial
Under the Online Safety Act, any site where more than a third of content is pornographic must verify that UK visitors are over 18. Methods include uploading a passport or driving licence, using facial recognition, or entering credit card details.The government argues this protects children from harmful content. But digital rights advocates, including the Open Rights Group, warn that creating a database linking people’s identities to their porn habits is a privacy disaster waiting to happen.
Past attempts — notably in 2019 — failed partly because of these concerns. This time, Ofcom has regulatory teeth and is already investigating over 30 sites for potential non-compliance.
The VPN surge — and how it’s rewriting the traffic map
If site visits in the UK are tanking, that traffic isn’t just vanishing into the ether. VPN providers are reporting a marked rise in UK sign-ups since late July, with some spikes as high as 60% week-on-week, according to industry tracker Top10VPN.This shift creates a murkier data picture. A British user tunnelling through a Paris server now looks, to analytics tools, like a French visitor. That means real UK consumption could be higher than the official data shows — but hidden from regulators.
Several high-traffic IP ranges previously dominant in London now appear to “originate” from Amsterdam, Dublin, and Frankfurt. The law may have reduced visibility, not necessarily demand.
Winners, losers, and the shadow economy of adult content
Interestingly, some smaller sites have seen a traffic bump since enforcement began. These tend to be foreign-based platforms that have chosen not to comply with the UK rules, betting that enforcement will be slow or selective.This creates a two-tier market: large, mainstream adult sites that follow the law and lose traffic, and nimble operators that skirt the rules and pick up fleeing users. The irony? In some cases, viewers are leaving safer, regulated sites for ones with fewer content controls, poorer security, and less oversight.
What happens if other countries follow the UK’s lead
The UK’s model is already being studied in Australia, France, and several US states. Lawmakers are watching both the political optics and the technical results: does traffic stay down, or do workarounds win?If VPN adoption remains high and non-compliant sites gain market share, other countries may hesitate to adopt copycat laws — or may try harsher enforcement, such as ISP-level blocking tied to identity verification.
In private conversations with European Commission staffers, I’ve heard a mix of fascination and caution. One policymaker told me, “We need to know if this is protecting children or just driving traffic underground.”
The bigger question: privacy vs. protection
For now, the UK is a real-time test case of whether state-mandated age checks can survive the collision between privacy rights and child protection goals.What’s clear is that the debate has shifted. This isn’t just a tech policy fight — it’s a cultural and political flashpoint. The sites, the regulators, and the users are all adapting in real time.
And as one adult industry veteran put it to me this week:
“Governments keep thinking they can fix this with a law. The internet has never worked that way.”
FAQs:
Q1: What caused UK porn site traffic to drop?A: New age verification rules under the Online Safety Act.
Q2: How are UK users bypassing the porn site ban?
A: Many are using VPN services to avoid verification.
