🔗 Share this article British Adult Content Traffic Declines After Identity Verifications, Yet VPN Usage Spikes, States Watchdog Access to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has risen. Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to popular pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Later data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the user who posted it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official. Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission. Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.
Access to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the enforcement of mandatory age verification earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the use of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has risen. Sharp Drop in Visitor Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The enforcement of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate fall in visits to popular pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than prior to the late July implementation date. Later data indicates this decline in site visits persisted beyond August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can circumvent geographic blocks by masking internet traffic through another nation—increased dramatically after 25 July. Usage reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, up from approximately 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the regulator noted that VPN usage has since fallen back, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of regular VPN use remains “much lower” than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Actions included reporting the content to the site to muting the user who posted it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that compel platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The most common way young people encountered such content was by looking through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were serving harmful material. Government Announce Review of Adult Content Legislation In a related development, the government stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. “The examination will look into the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” said a government official. Advocates Push For Tighter Digital Regulations Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the authorities to ban so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site systems. Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own tools designed to create private images without permission. Create a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for years offline finally are extended to the digital age.