🔗 Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog Access to pornography platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing persisted past August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world. “The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
Access to pornography platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing persisted past August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This survey was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world. “The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.