UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Age Verifications, But VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
