🔗 Share this article UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, Reports Regulator Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has risen. Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who shared it. This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children. Proposed amendments to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has risen. Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt reduction in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who shared it. This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children. Proposed amendments to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.