UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, But VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in traffic to major pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
