đ Share this article British Adult Content Traffic Declines After Age Verifications, But VPN Use Surges, States Watchdog Access to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued past August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)âwhich can get around location-based blocks by routing connections through another countryâincreased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than traffic for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Laws In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law 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 regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,â stated a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms. Introduce additional restrictions on ânudificationâ technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.
Access to adult content platforms in the UK has decreased markedly after the roll-out of age-checking measures earlier this year, according to the nation's communications authority. At the same time, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these restrictions has increased. Immediate Fall in User Numbers Following Rule Enforcement The introduction of age vetting on 25 July resulted in an swift fall in visits to major online adult platforms, including the leading provider in the UK. Figures indicates that user traffic to this platform in August were 9.8 million, a drop of 1.5 million from the same period in 2024. In total, traffic to the ten most-visited adult services in the UK have now settled at a significantly reduced level than prior to the end-of-July implementation date. Subsequent analysis indicates this decline in viewing continued past August. Sharp Increase in Virtual Private Network Usage to Evade Restrictions Reacting to the new regulations, adoption of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)âwhich can get around location-based blocks by routing connections through another countryâincreased dramatically after 25 July. User numbers peaked at over 1.4 million in mid-August, up from around 650,000 people before the checks began. Subsequently, the regulator stated that VPN usage has afterwards fallen back, with latest numbers standing at approximately 900,000. It clarified that the volume of regular VPN use is âmuch lowerâ than traffic for pornography services. Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Material Elsewhere, the watchdog's report found that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had taken action after encountering damaging content on the internet. Actions included reporting the material to the platform to blocking the person who shared it. This survey was conducted before new regulations came into force that compel platforms to stop children from accessing harmful content, including material related to self-harm and adult material. The primary way teenagers came across such content was by looking through a social media timeline, suggesting that algorithms were serving inappropriate material. Ministers Announce Examination of Pornography Laws In a related development, the ministers announced it would examine the criminal law 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 regarding criminalising, among other things, damaging depictions of incest and any forms of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,â stated a justice minister. Campaigners Call For Stricter Digital Controls Advocates for better control of online pornography have urged the government to ban so-called âbarely legalâ material. This includes content featuring incest scenes or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting young-looking adults portraying children. Proposed amendments to government bills aim to: Prohibit pornography where adults are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like childrenâs bedrooms. Extend the offence of making an exploitative portrayal of a child to cover material where an older performer acts the part of a child. Apply tighter regulation on familial abuse pornography, which studies suggests is often promoted by site algorithms. Introduce additional restrictions on ânudificationâ technology, potentially making it an illegal act to own software designed to generate private images without permission. Establish a new, separate regulatory body to perform inspections on adult platforms and respond to complaints of unlawful content. The advocates argue that these steps would ensure the protections that have existed for years in the physical world finally are extended to the digital age.