UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Regulator
Access to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these blocks has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—surged after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for better control of online pornography 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 performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
