A significant majority of UK adults support banning websites that promote the sale of sex - bolstering calls for legal reform to tackle online exploitation.
A poll conducted by Savanta for the social policy charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education) found that 70% of respondents wanted so-called “pimping websites” outlawed in the UK. Only 10% opposed the move.
Support was stronger among women (69%) than men (65%) and was highest among those aged 35 and above.
The survey of 2,177 UK adults was conducted online between 30 May and 1 June 2025.
The results arrive just as MPs are set to discuss a proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that would make it a criminal offence to earn money from another person’s involvement in prostitution - a move that would directly impact websites that facilitate the advertising of sexual services.
If passed, the proposed amendment, backed by over 50 cross-party MPs, would mark a significant shift in online regulation, targeting platforms that critics argue enable sexual exploitation and human trafficking.
Jessica McDowell, CARE’s spokesperson, condemned such sites as “vile platforms” that normalise the objectification and abuse of women, particularly in an online climate influenced by figures such as who glamorise exploitation.
“In a dangerous online world where men are being encouraged to abuse and exploit women by people like the Tate brothers, they are even more dangerous than in years gone by,” she said.
Ms McDowell urged swift government action to introduce the ban and echoed calls for a broader policy shift toward the Nordic Model - an approach that criminalises sex buyers rather than those exploited in the sex trade.
“A ‘Nordic Model’ for the UK is long overdue,” she said, pointing to support for this approach by the European Parliament.
CARE argues that curbing demand is essential to tackling commercial sexual exploitation and believes the Criminal Justice Bill presents a timely opportunity for meaningful change.
As public support mounts and parliamentary pressure grows, campaigners hope the UK will soon take firmer action against the digital platforms that profit from sexual exploitation.
