UK Age-Check Rules: Why Compliant Porn Sites Lost Traffic — and Non-Compliant Ones Gained It
The UK’s new age-verification measures — rolled out under the Online Safety Act enforcement — were designed to prevent minors from accessing explicit material online. But since enforcement began, the immediate result has been a dramatic reshuffle of traffic: big, compliant platforms have lost large chunks of UK visitors while smaller or non-compliant sites have gained ground. Below I explain the numbers, the reasons, and the privacy side-effects you should know about.
What happened?
In late July 2025 the UK began enforcing stricter age-verification requirements for adult sites. Sites that choose to comply must implement systems that reliably verify users are 18+ — often by using ID checks, third-party age-verification services, or biometric/photo-check systems. The effect was immediate: many large platforms that implemented checks saw their UK traffic drop substantially almost overnight.
Traffic impact — the numbers
Multiple analytics reports and news outlets tracked the changes. The headline effects reported by analytics providers were:
- Major adult platforms recorded declines in UK visits measured in tens of percent.
- Across a broad sample of top sites, average UK traffic fell substantially while a subset of smaller/non-compliant sites recorded traffic gains.
- VPN apps saw a large increase in downloads or usage among UK users seeking to bypass checks.
Note: exact percentages vary by source and measurement window, but the consistent pattern across datasets is a drop for compliant platforms and a rise for sites not enforcing checks.
Why this happened (unintended consequences)
Several factors explain the counterintuitive result:
- Friction & drop-off: Any added step (upload ID, facial check, or account creation) increases friction. Many casual users simply leave rather than verify.
- Migration to non-compliant sites: Users seeking a frictionless experience shifted to sites that either delayed enforcement or bypassed checks.
- Use of circumvention tools: VPNs and other methods made users appear to come from outside the UK, letting them avoid the checks entirely.
- Privacy concerns: The prospect of submitting ID or biometric data discouraged privacy-conscious users from completing verification.
VPN surge and privacy concerns
Reports indicate a large increase in VPN adoption and downloads in the UK after enforcement began. For many users the quickest way to avoid an age-check is to route traffic through a non-UK exit — and VPN providers have seen the benefit. The uptick raises two linked issues:
- Effectiveness: If users can easily bypass checks with VPNs, the law’s immediate protective impact on minors may be muted.
- Data tradeoffs: Some age-verification services require sensitive data (IDs, biometric scans). Users who do verify must trust third parties with this information — raising legitimate privacy and security questions.
What comes next
Policymakers, platforms, and privacy advocates now face a few clear choices:
- Improve verification that minimizes data retention and protects user privacy (privacy-preserving identity proofs, short-lived tokens, etc.).
- Focus enforcement efforts on non-compliant sites to reduce the migration effect.
- Educate users about safe verification choices and alternatives that limit data exposure.
Sources & further reading
Reporting and analysis from multiple outlets tracked this fast-moving story. For the original reporting and deeper data analysis, see:
- TechCrunch: UK age-check law seems to be hurting sites that comply, helping those that don’t
- Washington Post: 'Scan your face' laws for the web are having unexpected consequences
- Financial Times: UK porn site traffic analysis
FAQ
Q: Are minors more or less likely to access adult content now?
A: It's early to say. While verification raises barriers, circumvention (VPNs, non-compliant sites) and technological workarounds may blunt the effect.
Q: Is submitting ID safe?
A: It depends on the provider. Look for services that minimize retention, use strong encryption, and have clear deletion policies.
Q: Will enforcement expand?
A: Governments often iterate — expect more enforcement and legal pressure on non-compliant hosts, plus debates about privacy-preserving verification methods.