British Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, But VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing connections through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Material
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.
