UK porn traffic down since beginning of age checks but VPN use up, says Ofcom

"Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen in the wake of age checks being introduced this year while use of specialist software to dodge viewing restrictions has increased, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom said the enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate fall in visits to popular online porn publishers, including the most visited provider in the UK, Pornhub. The regulator said visitor numbers to Pornhub in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared with the same period in 2024."

"Figures given to the Guardian by Similarweb, the US data firm that provided the Ofcom figures, shows that the slump in pornography viewing appears to have continued beyond August. The number of unique visitors to Pornhub was 7.2 million last month, a decline of 36% since August 2024. Visits to Xvideos and Chaturbate the next two biggest sites fell by 27% and 18% respectively over the same period."

"Ofcom added that use of virtual private networks, software that can circumvent viewing restrictions by routing the visit via another country, had surged after 25 July. It said VPN usage more than doubled in the wake of age checking being introduced, rising from 650,000 users to a peak of more than 1.4 million in mid-August. The VPN number now stands at 900,000. Since August VPN usage has continued to steadily decline, said Ofcom. The level of daily VPN use is much lower than user numbers for porn services."

Enforcement of age vetting on 25 July produced an immediate and sustained drop in visits to major UK pornography services. Pornhub recorded 9.8 million visitors in August, 1.5 million fewer than the same period in 2024, and later fell to 7.2 million, a 36% decline since August 2024. Visits to Xvideos and Chaturbate declined by 27% and 18% respectively. Use of virtual private networks more than doubled after 25 July, rising from 650,000 to a mid‑August peak above 1.4 million and later settling at about 900,000. Around 60% of 11‑ to 17‑year‑olds took action after encountering harmful content, including reporting and blocking.

Read at www.theguardian.com