British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased.

Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in visits to popular online adult platforms, such as the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in viewing continued past August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions

In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking connections via another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls

Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded 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 stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.