British Pornography Site Visits Declines After Age Verifications, Yet Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog

Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has surged.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Law Implementation

The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in viewing continued beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions

In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by masking connections through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the site to muting the person who posted it.

This research was carried out prior to new rules came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Laws

Separately, the government stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter 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 encourages abuse by using youthful adults portraying children.

Suggested changes to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of unlawful content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.