UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt decline in traffic to leading pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by routing connections via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This research was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
