British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
