Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the UK has seen a notable drop after the introduction of mandatory age verification this summer, according to the nation's communications watchdog. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to circumvent these barriers has surged.
Immediate Drop in Visitor Figures Following Rule Implementation
The enforcement of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in traffic to major pornography sites, including the most visited site in the UK. Data reveals that visitor numbers to this platform in August reached 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the same period in 2024.
Overall, traffic to the 10 top pornography sites in the UK have now settled at a markedly decreased volume than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this slump in site visits persisted past August.
Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Bypass Checks
Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN software—which can bypass location-based restrictions by masking internet traffic through another country—surged after 25 July.
Usage peaked at more than 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers at approximately 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is “much lower” than user numbers for adult services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material
Elsewhere, the regulator's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering distressing content online. Steps taken included reporting the material to the site to blocking the user who shared it.
This survey was carried out prior to new rules came into force that compel social media companies to prevent children from seeing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The most common way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform timeline, suggesting that algorithms were showing inappropriate material.
Government Launch Examination of Pornography Laws
Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to consider whether it is “fit for purpose” in the ever-developing online world.
“The review will look into the efficacy of the existing law in relation to making illegal, among other things, harmful portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,” stated a government official.
Campaigners Call For Stricter Online Regulations
Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have urged the government to outlaw so-called “barely legal” material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote abuse by using youthful adults dressed as children.
Suggested amendments to legislation aim to:
- Ban pornography where performers are mimicking children, often filmed in settings like children’s bedrooms.
- Broaden the crime of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer plays the role of a child.
- Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is often promoted by site algorithms.
- Add additional controls on “nudification” software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Create a new, separate oversight agency to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content.
The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the protections that have existed for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
