UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has surged.
Sharp Fall in User Figures After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls
Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
