Pornhub UK Traffic Falls 77% After Age Checks — Fueling a Surge in Underground and Unregulated Adult Sites

Traffic to major adult websites such as Pornhub has plunged in the UK since new age-verification laws came into force this summer.

Under the Online Safety Act 2023, which took full effect in July 2025, adult platforms must now confirm users' ages before granting access. Analysts say the sharp decline in visits does not necessarily signal less viewing, as many users appear to have turned to virtual private networks (VPNs), offshore platforms and unregulated websites. It is potentially undermining the protections the law was designed to deliver.

The law aims to prevent under-18s from accessing explicit material online. But its enforcement has prompted a rapid shift in user behaviour and raised new concerns over privacy, surveillance and the growth of unregulated spaces.

Drop in Traffic

Following enforcement of the new rules on 25 July 2025, analytics firm Similarweb and data cited by The Guardian show that Pornhub's UK visits fell from about 3.6 million daily to 1.9 million within two weeks. By late October, Pornhub said the decline had reached roughly 77 per cent compared with pre-law levels.

VPN use has surged in parallel. One provider cited an 1,800 per cent rise in UK sign-ups immediately after the law took effect, according to The Verge. Regulator Ofcom confirmed that major adult sites had introduced age-assurance systems, but warned that widespread VPN use could distort traffic data and complicate enforcement.

Users Moving to Unregulated Sites

Experts say the biggest change is behavioural rather than statistical. Many users appear to be migrating to websites that do not require age verification or that operate outside UK jurisdiction, according to the Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment, a non-profit focused on digital rights. Pornhub has acknowledged that compliant sites often see an initial drop in traffic while non-compliant ones gain users.

Because VPNs mask location, regulators cannot easily determine whether viewing has decreased or simply moved offshore. Some users on online forums have said they now rely on 'second-tier' platforms or proxy browsers to access restricted content.

Privacy concerns are also influencing habits. The need to submit facial scans or credit card details has deterred users who fear surveillance or data breaches. Smaller adult content providers without age checks appear to have benefited from redirected traffic.

Safety, Privacy and Policy Concerns

Supporters of the age verification law argue that the decline in traffic to regulated platforms shows that under-18s now face stronger barriers to explicit material. Yet researchers and digital rights advocates warn that migration to unregulated or hidden sites could expose users to riskier content, including violent or illegal material.

Campaigners have also urged regulators to strengthen safeguards ensuring that verification data cannot be stored or shared without consent. These competing pressures between safety, privacy and practicality have prompted calls for clearer guidance and stronger oversight.

Future of Regulations

Enforcing the new rules remains difficult, as VPN activity can make UK traffic appear to originate abroad. Meanwhile, compliant companies face higher costs, while unregulated operators gain advertising revenue from redirected users.

The UK's age-verification regime has reshaped the country's adult-content landscape. Visits to mainstream platforms have collapsed, but there is little evidence that overall consumption has fallen. As regulators prepare to assess the law's first full year, the challenge will be ensuring that measures designed to protect children do not simply drive users into less accountable corners of the internet.