British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Regulator

Traffic to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to dodge these barriers has surged.

Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Implementation

The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an swift reduction in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than prior to the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis indicates this slump in viewing persisted past August.

Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can get around geographic blocks by routing connections via another nation—surged following 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the verification began. Subsequently, the regulator noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of regular VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for adult sites.

Young People Taking Action to Harmful Online Content

In other findings, the regulator's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing harmful content on the internet. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the person who shared it.

This research was conducted prior to new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, indicating that algorithms were serving harmful material.

Ministers Announce Review of Pornography Legislation

In a related development, the ministers stated it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to assess 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 criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which encourage child sexual abuse,” said a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Controls

Advocates for better regulation of online pornography have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children.

Proposed changes to government bills aim to:

• Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by platform algorithms.
• Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission.
• Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.

The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.