British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator

Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has risen.

Immediate Drop in User Figures After Rule Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in traffic to leading online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in viewing continued past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by masking connections via another nation—surged after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws

In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged 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 adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.