UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Identity Checks, Yet Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has risen.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures reveals that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

In total, traffic to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis shows this decline in viewing continued past August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can circumvent location-based blocks by routing connections through another nation—more than doubled after 25 July.

User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering damaging content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to blocking the person who posted it.

This survey was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that require platforms to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by looking through a social media timeline, indicating that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Launch Examination of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the modern digital age.

“The examination will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” said a government official.

Advocates Call For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children.

Suggested changes to government bills aim to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
• Introduce further controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to perform inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.