Unverified access to adult content sites in the UK saw a significant increase
In a recent development, several major pornographic portals, including Pornhub, have been found to be non-compliant with the UK's age verification rules that went into effect on July 25, 2025. The Washington Post's analysis uncovered that 14 out of 90 such portals are not adhering to the requirement.
The non-compliance has led to investigations of over 30 sites for non-compliance, resulting in a significant drop in UK visitors for Pornhub, with over a million UK visits disappearing. Simultaneously, VPN usage in the UK has surged sharply to circumvent the age checks, making it challenging to gauge the true level of demand.
The different approaches taken by pornographic sites have raised concerns about potential "unintended consequences," as an expert has pointed out. The Washington Post's investigation also found that some sites are doing their best to comply in "strange" or "bizarre" ways.
Some non-compliant sites link to anonymous blog posts criticizing the age verification requirement, while others show pornographic ads or previews to visitors who haven't proven their age. Some even provide instructions on how to bypass age verification blocks, such as using the Tor browser.
Interestingly, the age verification requirement also applies to social networks and user-to-user communication portals. However, no significant shift in visit numbers has been detected on these platforms yet.
The UK's media regulator, Ofcom, compared non-compliant sites but declined to comment on individual portals. The Washington Post's analysis now confirms that non-compliant providers are benefiting from the drop in traffic to compliant sites.
Despite the non-compliance, some major providers of such portals initially resisted but eventually complied with the requirements. Traffic to these non-compliant sites has significantly increased compared to last year, with some even doubling or tripling their visits.
In one case, a link leads to a petition against the underlying law. It's unknown how many people in the UK use VPN services to access these sites. The results of Ofcom's comparison of non-compliant sites were obtained by The Washington Post.
Early analyses also suggest that the UK's traffic to compliant pornographic portals has dropped, while no significant shift has been detected on social networks or user-to-user communication portals yet. The investigation continues as the UK government and regulators work towards ensuring the safety and compliance of online content.
