UK Pornography Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Access to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data shows this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase 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 restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Actions included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for better regulation 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 child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.
