UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography sites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has risen.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the top provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in site visits continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
