British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in visits to major online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since decreased, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for better control of adult content have called on 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 young-looking adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
