British Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to popular pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
