British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has surged.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to popular pornography sites, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections through another nation—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital 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 casting youthful performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
