UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Visitor numbers to pornography sites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has risen.

Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic via another country—surged after 25 July.

User numbers 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 since decreased, with latest figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.

This research was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls

Advocates for better control of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site systems.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.