UK Adult Content Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has risen.
Sharp Drop in Visitor Figures Following Law Implementation
The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the late July deadline. Later data suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Restrictions
In response to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around location-based restrictions by routing connections through another country—surged following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Material
In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing harmful content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the user who posted it.
This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is effective in the modern digital age.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to criminalising, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
