đ Share this article British Pornography Site Visits Declines Following Identity Verifications, But VPN Usage Spikes, Reports Watchdog Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a âlower levelâ than prior to the late July deadline. Later data shows this slump in viewing continued past August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN softwareâwhich can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nationâincreased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it. This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. âThe review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,â said a government official. Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children. Proposed changes to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional controls on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.
Traffic to pornography platforms in the UK has decreased markedly since the enforcement of mandatory age verification this summer, as reported by the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the usage of specialist software designed to dodge these blocks has risen. Sharp Fall in Visitor Numbers Following Law Implementation The enforcement of age verification on 25 July led to an prompt fall in visits to popular pornography sites, such as the most visited provider in the UK. Data reveals that user traffic to this site in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million from the equivalent month in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten top pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a âlower levelâ than prior to the late July deadline. Later data shows this slump in viewing continued past August. Surge in Virtual Private Network Adoption to Bypass Checks In response to the new regulations, adoption of VPN softwareâwhich can circumvent geographic restrictions by routing internet traffic through another nationâincreased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 users prior to the checks began. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has since steadily declined, with latest figures standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for adult sites. Young People Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content online. Actions included reporting the content to the site to blocking the person who posted it. This survey was carried out prior to new rules took effect that require social media companies to prevent children from accessing dangerous content, including material related to self-harm and pornography. The primary way young people encountered such content was by scrolling through a platform feed, indicating that algorithms were showing harmful material. Government Announce Review of Pornography Laws Separately, the government announced it would review the legislation governing pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the ever-developing online world. âThe review will investigate the efficacy of the existing law in regarding criminalising, for example, damaging portrayals of incest and any forms of pornography which encourage the abuse of children,â said a government official. Advocates Call For Stricter Online Controls Campaigners for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This encompasses content featuring incest scenes or that encourages abuse by casting youthful adults dressed as children. Proposed changes to legislation aim to: Prohibit pornography where performers are impersonating children, often recorded in environments like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the crime of making an indecent image of a child to include material where an older performer plays the role of a child. Introduce stricter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by platform algorithms. Add additional controls on ânudificationâ software, potentially making it an illegal act to possess software designed to generate private images without permission. Create a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and respond to complaints of illegal content. The campaigners argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have been enforced for decades in the physical world finally apply to the online sphere.