UK Adult Content Traffic Falls After Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in User Figures After Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to major online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing connections via another nation—surged after 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Responding to Damaging Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from flagging the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.
Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children.
Suggested amendments to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.