UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. At the same time, the use of tools designed to bypass these barriers has risen.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an swift decline in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based blocks by masking connections through another nation—increased dramatically following 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.
This research was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
Separately, the ministers announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.
“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a government official.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.
Proposed amendments to legislation seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
