British Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has surged.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers After Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in viewing continued past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 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 volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This research was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal 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 site algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
