British Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has risen.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing connections via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.