British Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator

Access to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has surged.

Immediate Fall in User Figures After Law Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the most visited site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Subsequent data suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

In response to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—increased dramatically after 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it.

This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister.

Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.

Proposed amendments to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
• Add further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to reports of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.