UK Government Weighs Age-Gating VPN Use Alongside Social Media Ban

The UK government is preparing to set out new rules on VPNs alongside its under-16 social media ban, with ministers saying details will come in July. No plans to regulate VPN services have been published, but the use of VPNs to bypass age checks has moved to the centre of the debate.

"Age-gating VPN use" on the table

Children's minister Josh MacAlister told the BBC there were "options there about whether we could age-gate VPN use, which would be really welcome". Ofcom, the communications regulator, has told the government that more work is needed: "We have more work to do to understand the effectiveness and accessibility of different methods, the availability of identity and age attributes at 16, and the privacy considerations of different existing and emerging methods."

Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC, technology secretary Liz Kendall said she would return to the House of Commons with a statement on VPNs in July. She described the argument as sharply divided: for some people it is about privacy and the ability to use a VPN is strongly held; others say VPNs should be banned because children use them to get around safeguards. Kendall added that the government has commissioned additional research because she has not been satisfied with the evidence.

Search data and enforcement powers

Early signals suggest the ban has not ended the behaviour it targets. Richy George, chief revenue officer at IT-AMG, told City AM that within hours of the ban being confirmed, teenagers appeared to be Googling how to get around it rather than disengaging from social media altogether.

Kendall also said the regulator needs stronger enforcement powers and strategy, amid concerns that companies are not being effectively punished for breaking online safety rules: "We need to make sure that if fines are given and they're not paid, we have to take it to the next step."

What the consultation covers

The government has launched a consultation to "confront the full range of risks children face online". According to the government, it includes examining restrictions on children's use of AI chatbots, options to age-restrict or limit children's VPN use where it undermines safety protections, and changing the age of digital consent.

Baroness Liz Lloyd has said there is "limited evidence on children's use of VPNs" and that the government has no plans to ban them — a position that leaves the July statement as the first concrete indication of which direction policy will take.