British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Watchdog

Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Concurrently, the usage of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.

Immediate Drop in User Numbers After Law Enforcement

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in visits to leading online adult platforms, such as the leading site in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this decline in site visits continued past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic via another nation—more than doubled following 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 watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to muting the user who posted it.

This research was carried out before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a social media feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.

Government Launch Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

“The review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations

Advocates for tighter control of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children.

Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform spot checks on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content.

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