British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Access to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has surged.
Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to leading online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits continued past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
