British Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate decline in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking connections through another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed 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 content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime 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 research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
