British Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Checks, But VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Later data shows this slump in site visits continued past August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
