British Adult Content Traffic Falls After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Access to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has risen.

Immediate Drop in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing internet traffic through another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that require social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Government Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.