British Pornography Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Sharp Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
