UK Pornography Site Visits Falls After Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Use Surges, Reports Regulator

Access to pornography platforms in the United Kingdom has fallen significantly since the introduction of age-checking measures this summer, as reported by the country's communications watchdog. At the same time, the adoption of tools designed to bypass these barriers has increased.

Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement

The introduction of age verification on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Data shows that visitor numbers to this site in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024.

In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a “lower level” than before the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this downward trend in site visits persisted past August.

Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks

In response to the new regulations, use of VPN software—which can get around geographic blocks by masking connections via another nation—more than doubled following 25 July.

Usage reached a high at over 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from approximately 650,000 people before the checks were introduced. However, the regulator stated that VPN usage has since fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the level of daily VPN use is “much lower” than traffic for pornography sites.

Young People Responding to Harmful Online Content

Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Actions ranged from reporting the content to the platform to muting the user who posted it.

This survey was conducted before new regulations took effect that require social media companies to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing harmful material.

Government Announce Examination of Pornography Legislation

Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law governing pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the modern digital age.

“The review will look into the efficacy of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,” said a justice minister.

Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls

Campaigners for tighter regulation of adult content have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that encourages abuse by casting youthful performers portraying children.

Suggested amendments to legislation seek to:

• Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often recorded in environments like children’s bedrooms.
• Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer acts the part of a child.
• Introduce stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which research suggests is often promoted by platform systems.
• Add further controls on “nudification” technology, potentially making it an offence to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
• Establish a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to reports of illegal content.

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