British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions included flagging the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
