British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Age Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July.
Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging 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. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Push For Stricter Digital Regulations
Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.
Suggested changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
