UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog
Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.
Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt fall in visits to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform 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 ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Later data indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nation—surged after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content on the internet. Actions included flagging the material to the site to blocking the user who posted it.
This research was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.
Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Controls
Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform systems.
- Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on complaints of unlawful content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
