British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Access to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these restrictions has surged.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures Following Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt decline in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
