UK traffic to adult websites drops sharply as age verification measures take effect
13/08/2025 | BBC News
New figures from the data analytics firm Similarweb indicate a sharp decrease in visits to popular adult websites in the UK since age verification rules required by the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA) came into effect on 25 July.
The new rules require adult sites to make it harder for under-18s to access explicit material. Data over the last two weeks shows that Pornhub, the UK's most visited adult site, saw its traffic drop by 47%, losing over one million daily visitors. Visits to other platforms showed a similar dropoff; XVideos fell by 47%, while OnlyFans experienced a drop of over 10%. However, some smaller, less regulated adult sites saw an increase in traffic.
The change in visitor numbers coincided with a surge in VPN app downloads, which became the most downloaded apps on Apple's App Store in the UK. VPNs, which allow users to disguise their location and circumvent the new age verification measures, also make it harder to track UK traffic.
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