UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has risen.

Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis shows this slump in site visits continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks

In response to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it.

This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people came across such content was by looking through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws

In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls

Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested changes to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by site systems.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.