UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.
Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to leading pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Later analysis shows this slump in site visits continued past August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by routing connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This research was carried out before new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
