After the United Kingdom’s Online Safety Act went into effect on Friday, requiring porn platforms and other adult content sites to implement user age verification mechanisms, use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and other circumvention tools spiked in the UK over the weekend.

Sites that require age verification may be more susceptible to malware, ads, and trackers. NordVPN's Threat Protection Pro feature can help protect your device from threats. Its a certified anti-phishing tool and was rated as the best VPN malware protection.

Virtual private network (VPN) apps have become the most downloaded on Apple's App Store in the UK after sites such as PornHub, Reddit and X began requiring age verification of users on Friday. VPNs can disguise your location online - allowing you to use the internet as though you are in another country.