British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Access to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.
Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July implementation date. Later data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—surged following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
