🔗 Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Age Checks, But VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Regulator Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in visits to major pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections via another country—surged following 25 July. Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites. Young People Responding to Damaging Material Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to blocking the user who posted it. This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age. “The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls Advocates for better regulation of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
Access to adult content platforms in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the nation's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these blocks has increased. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in visits to major pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Data indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions In response to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic restrictions by masking connections via another country—surged following 25 July. Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites. Young People Responding to Damaging Material Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to blocking the user who posted it. This research was conducted prior to new rules came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people came across such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing digital age. “The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Online Controls Advocates for better regulation of adult content have called on the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by site systems. Add further restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.