British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator
Access to pornography sites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Later data suggests this downward trend in viewing continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force 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 encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations
Advocates for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
