British Adult Content Site Visits Declines After Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Spikes, Reports Regulator
Access to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures After Law Enforcement
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the leading site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the late July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in viewing continued past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Restrictions
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by masking connections through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the verification began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content
Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to blocking the user who posted it.
This survey was carried out before new rules took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Announce Review of Adult Content Laws
In a related development, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The examination will investigate the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have called on the government to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking performers portraying children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
- Extend the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site systems.
- Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
- Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on 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 online sphere.
