British Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift decline in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data indicates this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing connections through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
