UK Pornography Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, But VPN Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
