British Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Regulator
Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the material to the platform to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
