UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Verifications, But VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the top provider in the UK. Data indicates 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 pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Later analysis shows this downward trend in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who posted it.
This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
