UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has increased.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this slump in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing connections through another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations
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 abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
