UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate 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,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
