🔗 Share this article UK Pornography Site Visits Falls Following Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Spikes, States Regulator Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Later data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age. “The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children. Suggested amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.
Access to pornography websites in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Sharp Fall in User Figures After Law Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an prompt decline in traffic to popular online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a “lower level” than before the late July deadline. Later data shows this downward trend in viewing persisted past August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Restrictions In response to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by routing connections via another country—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the verification were introduced. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards decreased, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions ranged from reporting the material to the site to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were showing harmful material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age. “The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by using youthful performers portraying children. Suggested amendments to government bills seek to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which research indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, independent regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners argue that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally apply to the digital age.