British Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an swift fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nation—surged following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
