British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Verifications, But VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Access to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an swift fall in visits to popular online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this slump in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking connections via another nation—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter control of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.