UK Pornography Traffic Declines Following Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Watchdog

Access to pornography websites in the UK has decreased markedly since the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these blocks has increased.

Sharp Fall in User Numbers After Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July resulted in an prompt fall in visits to leading pornography sites, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the ten most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Later analysis indicates this slump in site visits persisted beyond August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic restrictions by routing connections via another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing damaging content online. Actions included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.

This research was carried out prior to new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way young people came across such content was by looking through a social media feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Laws

In a related development, the government stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to criminalising, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Campaigners Call For Tighter Digital Controls

Campaigners for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.

Proposed changes to government bills seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce tighter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on adult platforms and act on reports of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.