UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Law Implementation
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—surged after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Regulations
Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking 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 older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
