UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Access to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the enforcement of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the use of specialist software designed to circumvent these restrictions has increased.

Immediate Fall in User Figures Following Rule Enforcement

The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an immediate fall in traffic to leading online adult platforms, such as the top site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

Overall, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Later analysis suggests this decline in viewing continued beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July.

Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.

Teenagers Responding to Harmful Material

Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering distressing content online. Actions included flagging the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.

This research was conducted before new rules took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to suicide and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a social media feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing inappropriate material.

Ministers Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation

In a related development, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing digital age.

“The review will investigate the effectiveness of the current law in regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,” stated a government official.

Advocates Push For Stricter Digital Regulations

Advocates for tighter regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using youthful adults portraying children.

Suggested changes to legislation seek to:

• Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the crime of creating an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child.
• Apply tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms.
• Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content.

The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years offline finally apply to the online sphere.