British Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has surged.
Sharp Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, including the most visited provider in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Subsequent analysis shows this decline in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the platform to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.
Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the government announced it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age.
“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official.
Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls
Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed changes to government bills aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems.
- Introduce additional 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 inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
