UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
