British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen.
Immediate Fall in User Figures After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
