UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.
Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter control 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 performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
