UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data shows this downward trend in site visits continued past August.
Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Regulations
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 appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.