UK Pornography Site Visits Declines After Identity Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, Reports Watchdog

Visitor numbers to adult content sites in the United Kingdom has decreased markedly after the introduction of age-checking measures earlier this year, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the usage of tools designed to bypass these restrictions has surged.

Sharp Fall in Visitor Figures After Law Implementation

The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an immediate fall in visits to leading pornography sites, such as the top provider in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024.

Overall, visitor numbers to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a significantly reduced level than before the late July deadline. Subsequent data suggests this downward trend in viewing persisted beyond August.

Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions

Reacting to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking connections through another country—surged after 25 July.

Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, rising from approximately 650,000 people before the checks began. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It clarified that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for pornography sites.

Teenagers Responding to Damaging Online Content

In other findings, the watchdog's report revealed that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after seeing distressing content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to muting the user who shared it.

This survey was carried out before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from seeing harmful content, such as material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that recommendation systems were showing harmful material.

Ministers Announce Examination of Adult Content Legislation

Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern online world.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging depictions of incest and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Regulations

Campaigners for tighter control of online pornography have urged the authorities to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful performers dressed as children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Broaden the offence of creating an indecent image of a child to cover material where an adult plays the role of a child.
• Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Introduce further restrictions on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate non-consensual nude images.
• Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform spot checks on adult platforms and act on reports of unlawful content.

The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally are extended to the online sphere.