UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these restrictions has surged.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
