British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
