British Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in visits to leading pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
