UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Regulator
Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has increased.
Sharp Fall in User Figures After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking connections via another country—surged following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Actions included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the government stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
