🔗 Share this article British Adult Content Traffic Falls Following Identity Checks, But VPN Usage Surges, States Regulator Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease 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 significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this decline in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections through another nation—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Young People Responding to Harmful Material In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children. Suggested changes to legislation aim to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications authority. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in Visitor Figures After Rule Enforcement The introduction of age verification on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in traffic to major online adult platforms, including the most visited site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease 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 significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July implementation date. Later data suggests this decline in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)—which can bypass geographic blocks by routing connections through another nation—surged after 25 July. User numbers reached a high at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 people prior to the verification were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with current numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It added that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography services. Young People Responding to Harmful Material In other findings, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Actions ranged from flagging the content to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new rules came into force that require social media companies to stop children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the ministers announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing digital age. “The examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official. Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls Campaigners for better regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults dressed as children. Suggested changes to legislation aim to: Ban pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms. Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child. Apply stricter regulation on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.