UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Actions included flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
