British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the roll-out 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 circumvent these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
