British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the use of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Immediate Drop in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate decline in traffic to popular pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.

Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material

In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.

This survey was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern digital age.

“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Advocates Call For Stricter Online Regulations

Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children.

Suggested changes to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.