British Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has risen.
Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Later analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking connections through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
