Poll reveals strong public backing for crackdown on online ‘pimping sites’

A big majority of UK adults support banning web sites 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 web sites” outlawed within the UK. Only 10% opposed the move.

Support was stronger amongst women (69%) than men (65%) and was highest amongst those aged 35 and above.

The survey of two,177 UK adults was conducted online between 30 May and 1 June 2025.

The results arrive just as MPs are set to debate a proposed amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill that will make it a criminal offence to earn money from one other person’s involvement in prostitution – a move that will directly impact web sites that facilitate the promoting of sexual services.

If passed, the proposed amendment, backed by over 50 cross-party MPs, would mark a big 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 ladies, particularly in a web-based climate influenced by figures akin to who glamorise exploitation.

“In a dangerous online world where men are being encouraged to abuse and exploit women by people just like the Tate brothers, they’re much more dangerous than in years passed by,” she said.

Ms McDowell urged swift government motion to introduce the ban and echoed calls for a broader policy shift toward the Nordic Model – an approach that criminalises sex buyers quite than those exploited within 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 crucial to tackling industrial 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 motion against the digital platforms that cash in on sexual exploitation.