🔗 Share this article British Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, Reports Regulator Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, 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 implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in site visits continued past August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it. This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Legislation Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children. Suggested changes to government bills seek to: Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections 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 apply to the online sphere.
Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, 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 implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in site visits continued past August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who posted it. This research was conducted before new regulations came into force that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Legislation Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children. Suggested changes to government bills seek to: Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections 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 apply to the online sphere.