British Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in visits to major pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Later analysis shows this downward trend in site visits continued beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.