UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis suggests this decline in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
