UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government 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 look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
