Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen in the wake of age checks being introduced this year while use of specialist software to dodge viewing restrictions has increased, according to the communications watchdog.

Ofcom said the enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate fall in visits to popular online porn publishers , including the most visited provider in the UK, Pornhub.

The regulator said visitor numbers to Pornhub in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared with the same period in 2024. Ofcom said in its annual Online Nation report that, overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before 25 July.

Figures given to the Guardian by Similarweb, the US data fi

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