British Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Traffic to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate fall in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
