UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.
Sharp Drop in User Figures After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease 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 “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. 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 ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
