🔗 Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased. Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased. Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data indicates that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Restrictions In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically following 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Damaging Online Content In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the user who shared it. This research was conducted prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the online sphere.