UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this slump in viewing continued past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections through another nation—surged after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using youthful adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal 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 suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
