🔗 Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, States Regulator Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased. Sharp Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. 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 Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing connections through another country—increased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world. “The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban 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. Suggested amendments to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased. Sharp Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an swift fall in traffic to major pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. 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 Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based blocks by routing connections through another country—increased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern online world. “The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Controls Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban 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. Suggested amendments to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.