UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog
Access to pornography sites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has increased.
Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
