British Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt fall in visits to major pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Later data indicates this downward trend in viewing continued past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.