🔗 Share this article British Adult Content Traffic Declines Following Identity Verifications, But Virtual Private Network Use Spikes, Reports Regulator Traffic to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen. Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This research was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children. Suggested amendments to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
Traffic to adult content sites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications authority. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to circumvent these restrictions has risen. Immediate Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an swift decline in traffic to major pornography sites, including the top provider in the UK. Data shows that user traffic to this site in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. Overall, traffic to the 10 most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis suggests this downward trend in site visits persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Checks In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based blocks by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included reporting the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This research was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel platforms to stop children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Review of Adult Content Laws In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is effective in the ever-developing online world. “The review will investigate the efficacy of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Advocates Call For Tighter Digital Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children. Suggested amendments to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.