British Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.
Immediate Fall in User Figures After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this slump in site visits continued past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
