UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by routing connections through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.