UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has increased.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates 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 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator'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 flagging the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.