British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Regulator
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has increased.
Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop 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 markedly decreased volume than prior to the late July implementation date. Later analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by routing internet traffic through another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for better control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Add further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
