🔗 Share this article UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen. Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites. Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age. “The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation aim to: Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen. Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—more than doubled after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites. Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age. “The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation aim to: Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.