UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls Following Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has risen.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.
This research was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
