UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.
Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
