UK Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an swift decline in traffic to leading pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services.
Teenagers Responding to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the material to the platform to muting the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that require platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children.
Proposed changes to government bills seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.