British Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Regulator
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.