UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data indicates this decline in site visits persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog'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 user who posted it.
This research was carried out before new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
