British Adult Content Traffic Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Spikes, States Regulator
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Concurrently, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these blocks has surged.
Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers After Law Enforcement
The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to popular online adult platforms, including the top provider in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, traffic to the 10 top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this slump in viewing persisted beyond August.
Surge in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks
In response to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass location-based restrictions by routing internet traffic through another country—more than doubled following 25 July.
User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from approximately 650,000 people prior to the checks began. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services.
Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material
In other findings, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content on the internet. Steps taken included flagging the material to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way teenagers encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving harmful material.
Government Launch Review of Adult Content Laws
Separately, the ministers stated it would examine the criminal law relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
“The examination will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” stated a government official.
Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations
Advocates for tighter regulation of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by using young-looking adults dressed as children.
Suggested changes to legislation aim to:
- Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
- Introduce stricter controls on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, independent oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.
