🔗 Share this article British Pornography Traffic Declines Following Age Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has surged. Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in viewing persisted past August. Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This research was conducted before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Regulations Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children. Proposed 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 exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has surged. Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in viewing persisted past August. Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This research was conducted before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Regulations Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children. Proposed 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 exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.