UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in site visits persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions included flagging the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
