UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Regulator

Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows 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, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it.

This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Laws

Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.

Suggested changes to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on 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 digital age.