UK Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, States Regulator

Traffic to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.

Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this downward trend in viewing continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by routing internet traffic through another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.