British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these blocks has increased.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this slump in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
