🔗 Share this article UK Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged. Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate decline in traffic to major pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period 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 prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued beyond August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official. Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged. Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate decline in traffic to major pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period 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 prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued beyond August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official. Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Controls Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.