British Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in visits to leading pornography sites, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers 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 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this slump in site visits persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
