British Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has risen.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Later data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing connections via another country—surged following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
