British Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these blocks has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this slump in site visits continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
