UK Adult Content Site Visits Falls After Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog
Access to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an swift fall in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another country—more than doubled after 25 July.
Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation
In a related development, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation seek to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
