UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, But VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Access to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has risen.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions included flagging the material to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
