UK Pornography Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has fallen significantly after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased.
Immediate Fall in User Figures After Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Young People Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions included flagging the material to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This research was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter control 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 casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
