UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July deadline. Later analysis indicates this slump in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by masking connections via another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions included flagging the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for better control of adult content have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
