🔗 Share this article British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Age Verifications, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Regulator Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing continued past August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites. Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it. This research was carried out prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister. Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children. Suggested changes 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 older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.
Traffic to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to circumvent these barriers has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers After Law Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to leading pornography sites, including the top site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data indicates this decline in viewing continued past August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites. Young People Taking Action to Damaging Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who posted it. This research was carried out prior to new rules took effect that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the government stated it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a justice minister. Campaigners Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using young-looking adults portraying children. Suggested changes 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 older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform systems. Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The advocates contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the digital age.