UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children.
Proposed changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
