🔗 Share this article UK Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Regulator Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has surged. Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data suggests this slump in site visits continued beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This research was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking 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 adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms. Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
Traffic to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has surged. Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an swift reduction in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later data suggests this slump in site visits continued beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by routing internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current figures at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who posted it. This research was carried out before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws In a related development, the government announced it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world. “The review will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to legislation seek to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking 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 adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms. Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.