UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But VPN Use Surges, States Regulator
Access to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to bypass these barriers has surged.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed 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 posted it.
This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Regulations
Advocates 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 encourages abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
