UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
