UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Regulator
Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this decline in viewing continued past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking connections through another country—surged after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for better control of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
