British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking connections through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content online. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
