UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Age Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.
Sharp Drop in User Numbers After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in visits to leading online adult platforms, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Later data shows this decline in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.
Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.
Government Launch Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
