UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Traffic to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
