UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Fall in User Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by routing connections through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
