In recent coverage from The Times (behind paywall), it was reported that UK traffic to major adult websites such as Pornhub and XVideos has dropped by almost 50% since the rollout of age verification checks under the new Online Safety Act. At first glance, this might suggest that the law is having its desired effect. But take a closer look, and a very different picture emerges.
Traffic Drops ≠ Fewer Users
Let’s be clear: traffic analytics tools like Similarweb estimate traffic based on IP addresses. If a user in the UK activates a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and selects a server in another country, that user no longer appears in UK traffic logs. The drop in British traffic doesn’t necessarily mean fewer users – it means users are now showing up as coming from France, Germany, Canada, Antarctica, or elsewhere.
Even The Times article admits:
“There has been a surge in the use of apps that disguise a user’s location.”
“VPN providers… claim to have seen huge rises in usage from the UK.”
This is not speculation – it’s a direct consequence of the law. The numbers haven’t gone away. They’ve gone underground.
UK Users Are Still Watching Porn
Age verification doesn’t eliminate demand. It just shifts behaviour. And VPN use has become so normalised that users across Reddit, social media, and tech sites are openly sharing tips on bypassing the blocks.
The irony? Even news outlets like The Independent, TechRadar, and even the BBC have published VPN buying guides aimed at users wanting to sidestep age gates.
At Love-Boobs.com, we’ve seen this shift firsthand. Despite blocking UK traffic, our total site usage has actually increased since the verification rules came into force. The audience hasn’t disappeared – it’s simply reappeared through different doors.
Who Really Loses? Smaller Sites and Legitimate Platforms
Large platforms may be able to implement age checks, but at a high cost. Many smaller sites (including ours) have had no choice but to block UK traffic entirely. We simply can’t afford the infrastructure, nor are we willing to expose users to invasive ID uploads, credit card checks, or facial recognition.
This creates a distorted marketplace:
- Mainstream sites lose traffic.
- Non-compliant or offshore sites gain traffic.
- Users find riskier paths to the same content.
The same article even notes:
“There is often a drop in traffic for compliant sites and an increase in traffic for non-compliant sites.”
That’s not progress. That’s whack-a-mole.
This Isn’t Just About Porn
Plenty of non-pornographic platforms have been affected by overly broad enforcement:
- Artistic erotica
- LGBTQ+ sexual health resources
- Kink-friendly social networks like Fetlife
- Adult comics and fiction platforms
These aren’t “porn sites” – they are legitimate, nuanced digital spaces that now face access barriers due to technicalities.
And the unintended consequences are only growing. Wikipedia, of all places, recently lost a High Court challenge seeking exemption from these regulations — despite being an educational resource used by millions. When encyclopedias start falling under adult content regulation, it’s clear something has gone very awry.
What Needs to Change?
We’re not arguing that children should have unfettered access to explicit content. But the current policy doesn’t deliver protection. It delivers illusion. It looks effective on paper, but in reality, it:
- Punishes compliant platforms.
- Rewards VPN-friendly alternatives.
- Pushes adults toward privacy risks.
- Fails to account for basic digital literacy.
As long as tech-savvy teens can use free VPNs and adults value their privacy, this law will be ineffective in practice.
Until Then…
We’ve blocked UK traffic, not because we want to, but because we can’t comply without compromising what we stand for: respect, autonomy, and user privacy.
Just don’t mistake a traffic drop for moral victory. People who want to access adult content still are – they’re just harder to count now.