🔗 Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged. Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Later analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This research was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age. “The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for better regulation of adult content have called on the government to ban 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. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
Traffic to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged. Sharp Fall in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate reduction in visits to leading online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Later analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This research was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Government Launch Review of Pornography Legislation Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age. “The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for better regulation of adult content have called on the government to ban 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. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.