🔗 Share this article UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Use Surges, Reports Regulator Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has increased. Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Later data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July. Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Regulations Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography 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 youthful adults dressed as children. Proposed amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has increased. Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Later data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July. Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Regulations Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography 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 youthful adults dressed as children. Proposed amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.