đ Share this article UK Pornography Traffic Falls After Identity Checks, Yet VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a âlower levelâ than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN softwareâwhich can circumvent geographic blocks by routing internet traffic through another countryâsurged following 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it. This research was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is âfit for purposeâ in the ever-developing digital age. âThe review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,â said a justice minister. Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms. Add additional restrictions on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.
Visitor numbers to adult content websites in the United Kingdom has seen a notable drop since the roll-out of mandatory age verification earlier this year, according to the nation's communications regulator. Simultaneously, the usage of specialist software designed to bypass these barriers has increased. Sharp Drop in User Figures Following Law Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an prompt decline in traffic to leading pornography sites, including the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decline of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a âlower levelâ than before the end-of-July deadline. Later data indicates this decline in viewing persisted beyond August. Sharp Increase in VPN Adoption to Evade Checks Reacting to the new rules, adoption of VPN softwareâwhich can circumvent geographic blocks by routing internet traffic through another countryâsurged following 25 July. Usage peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, rising from around 650,000 users before the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with current figures standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use remains âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Damaging Material In other findings, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of young people aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering harmful content online. Steps taken included flagging the content to the site to muting the person who shared it. This research was carried out prior to new regulations came into force that require platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, such as material related to suicide and pornography. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, suggesting that recommendation systems were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Launch Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation relating to pornography to assess whether it is âfit for purposeâ in the ever-developing digital age. âThe review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in relation to making illegal, for example, harmful depictions of familial abuse and any forms of pornography which promote the abuse of children,â said a justice minister. Advocates Push For Tighter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of adult content have called on the authorities to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages child sexual abuse by casting youthful adults portraying children. Suggested changes to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where adults are impersonating children, sometimes filmed in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an adult acts the part of a child. Introduce tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which research suggests is heavily recommended by site algorithms. Add additional restrictions on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess tools designed to create non-consensual nude images. Create a new, separate oversight agency to conduct spot checks on adult platforms and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners contend that these measures would ensure the safeguards that have existed for decades offline finally apply to the online sphere.