UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Access to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.

Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Rule Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis shows this downward trend in site visits continued past August.

Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—surged following 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the platform to muting the user who shared it.

This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that require platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation

Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls

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

Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.

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