British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Traffic to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to bypass these blocks has risen.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this downward trend in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
