UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, But VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt fall in visits to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Advocates Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence 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 research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
