UK Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has surged.
Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks
Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another country—surged after 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. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern online world.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms.
- Introduce additional controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.
