British Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has surged.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
