UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog

Access to adult content platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has surged.

Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Law Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the late July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this downward trend in viewing persisted past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking connections through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since decreased, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Young People Responding to Damaging Material

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to muting the person who shared it.

This research was conducted prior to new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

Separately, the ministers stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Campaigners Call For Tighter Online Regulations

Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.

Proposed changes to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
• Introduce tighter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site systems.
• Introduce further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades offline finally are extended to the digital age.