The UK’s Online Safety Act, designed to enforce stringent age verification for online platforms, has sent shockwaves through the adult entertainment industry.
According to Similarweb, within two weeks of the Act’s implementation on July 25, 2025, UK traffic to major adult websites plummeted. Pornhub saw a 47% drop, from 3.2 million daily visits in July to 2 million.
XVideos mirrored this decline with a 47% fall, while xHamster recorded a 39% decrease. The numbers paint a stark picture of immediate compliance — or avoidance.
However, the story is far from straightforward. As adult sites scrambled to implement age checks, UK users flocked to VPNs to bypass restrictions. Data from the UK App Store shows a surge in VPN app downloads, with providers like Proton and Nord reporting a tenfold increase in usage. With VPNs masking users’ locations, UK traffic appears as foreign in analytics, muddying the waters of compliance tracking. This mirrors trends seen in similar regulatory crackdowns elsewhere — users adapt quickly, and VPNs become the go-to workaround.
Social media platforms like X and Reddit, which also introduced age verification, have weathered the storm better, barely losing traffic. This resilience likely stems from less rigorous verification processes and the stickiness of social networks, where users are tethered to their communities and less inclined to abandon ship.
For adult sites, however, the stakes are higher, and the user experience is less about connection and more about access.
A broader look reveals further complexity. While the top 90 adult sites saw a 23% month-on-month traffic decline, some smaller platforms actually gained visitors. Pornhub itself noted a troubling trend: compliant sites lose audience share to non-compliant ones that skirt the rules. This creates a perverse incentive, where following the law puts businesses at a competitive disadvantage.
Also read:
- Married couple shares secrets on how they became Pornhub's most viewed amateurs.
- TikTok Star Marks 18th Birthday with OnlyFans Launch, Rakes in Over $1 Million in Three Hours
- A woman recounts how a sexual accident resulted in her partner's penis being injured, leading to him losing part of his manhood
- The Ether Machine Surpasses Ethereum Foundation with 15,000 ETH Purchase
The Online Safety Act’s early results highlight a tension between regulation and user behavior. While the UK government aims to protect minors, the sharp rise in VPN usage and the uneven impact across platforms suggest enforcement is a game of whack-a-mole. Compliant sites bear the brunt, while savvy users and non-compliant platforms find ways to sidestep the rules. As the Act evolves, its success will hinge on closing these loopholes—without driving users further into the shadows.
