🔗 Share this article UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Regulator Traffic to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has surged. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this slump in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world. “The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official. Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Controls Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children. Proposed amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.
Traffic to pornography sites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has surged. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Law Implementation The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt reduction in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent data shows this slump in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Checks Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around location-based blocks by masking internet traffic via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 users before the verification began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included flagging the material to the platform to muting the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation In a related development, the government announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world. “The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official. Campaigners Push For Tighter Digital Controls Advocates for better control of online pornography have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children. Proposed amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.