UK Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the usage of tools designed to dodge these barriers has risen.

Immediate Drop in Visitor Numbers After Rule Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks

Reacting to the new rules, use of VPN software—which can bypass geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.

Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it.

This survey was carried out before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.

“The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a justice minister.

Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested changes to legislation aim to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades offline finally apply to the digital age.