UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, But VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has risen.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the top provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing connections via another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This research was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
