British Pornography Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Regulator
Access to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this decline in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.