British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content platforms in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.

Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this downward trend in site visits continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing connections via another country—surged following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content

Elsewhere, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.

This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern online world.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls

Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.

Proposed changes to government bills aim to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.