UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, Reports Watchdog
Access to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Rule Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by masking connections through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on 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 performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
