British Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Regulator
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
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. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
