UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Age Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in site visits continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
