UK Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 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 downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing connections through another country—surged following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
