British Pornography Traffic Falls Following Age Checks, But Virtual Private Network Usage Surges, States Watchdog
Traffic to pornography sites in the UK has decreased markedly since the roll-out of age-checking measures this summer, according to the country's communications watchdog. Concurrently, the use of specialist software designed to bypass these blocks has increased.
Immediate Drop in User Figures After Law Implementation
The introduction of age vetting on 25 July caused an immediate reduction in traffic to popular pornography sites, such as the leading site in the UK. Figures indicates that visitor numbers to this platform in August stood at 9.8 million, a decrease of 1.5 million compared to the equivalent month in 2024.
In total, visitor numbers to the 10 most-visited pornography sites in the UK have now stabilized at a âlower levelâ than before the end-of-July deadline. Subsequent analysis suggests this slump in viewing continued beyond August.
Surge in Virtual Private Network Usage to Bypass Checks
In response to the new rules, use of VPN softwareâwhich can bypass geographic blocks by routing internet traffic through another countryâincreased dramatically after 25 July.
User numbers peaked at more than 1.4 million in the middle of August, up from around 650,000 people prior to the checks were introduced. However, the watchdog noted that VPN usage has afterwards steadily declined, with current numbers standing at around 900,000. It added that the volume of daily VPN use remains âmuch lowerâ than user numbers for pornography services.
Teenagers Taking Action to Harmful Online Content
In other findings, the watchdog's annual study revealed that about 60% of teenagers aged 11 to 17 had acted after encountering harmful content on the internet. Steps taken ranged from flagging the material to the site to muting the person who shared it.
This research was conducted before new rules took effect that require platforms to prevent children from seeing harmful content, such as 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 Legislation
Separately, the ministers stated it would review the criminal law relating to pornography to assess whether it is adequate in the modern digital age.
âThe review will look into the effectiveness of the current law in regarding making illegal, among other things, damaging portrayals of familial abuse and any types of pornography which promote child sexual abuse,â stated a justice minister.
Advocates Push For Stricter Online Controls
Campaigners for better regulation of online pornography have called on the government to outlaw so-called âbarely legalâ material. This encompasses content featuring simulated familial abuse or that appears to promote child sexual abuse by casting youthful performers dressed as children.
Proposed amendments to government bills seek to:
- Prohibit pornography where performers are mimicking children, sometimes filmed in settings like childrenâs bedrooms.
- Broaden the offence of creating an exploitative portrayal of a child to include material where an adult plays the role of a child.
- Apply stricter controls on incest-themed pornography, which studies indicates is heavily recommended by site algorithms.
- Introduce additional restrictions on ânudificationâ technology, potentially making it an offence to own software designed to generate private images without permission.
- Establish a new, independent oversight agency to conduct spot checks on pornography sites and act on reports of illegal content.
The campaigners contend that these steps would ensure the safeguards that have existed for years offline finally are extended to the online sphere.
