đ Share this article British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits continued beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)âwhich can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nationâmore than doubled after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it. This research was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. âThe examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,â stated a justice minister. Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce further restrictions on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
Visitor numbers to pornography platforms in the UK has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the adoption of tools designed to dodge these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July led to an immediate decline in visits to major pornography sites, such as the leading provider in the UK. Figures shows that user traffic to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024. Overall, traffic to the ten top adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent data shows this decline in site visits continued beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Usage to Bypass Checks Reacting to the new rules, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)âwhich can get around geographic restrictions by masking internet traffic via another nationâmore than doubled after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. Subsequently, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with latest figures at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for adult services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content Elsewhere, the regulator's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after seeing damaging content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who posted it. This research was carried out before new regulations took effect that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing harmful content, including material related to suicide and adult material. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material. Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the ministers announced it would examine the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. âThe examination will investigate the effectiveness of the existing law in regarding making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote the abuse of children,â stated a justice minister. Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This includes content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting young-looking performers portraying children. Suggested changes to legislation seek to: Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes recorded in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an adult acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems. Introduce further restrictions on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an offence to own tools designed to generate non-consensual nude images. Establish a new, separate regulatory body to conduct inspections on pornography sites and act on complaints of unlawful content. The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.