UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these blocks has risen.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 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 settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis shows this decline in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
