UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has increased.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess 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, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
