Government deemed to consider prohibiting children's use of VPNs, as per UK commissioner's proposal
In the digital age, the line between safety and freedom continues to be a topic of debate. The UK government's children's commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has added her voice to the conversation, urging the government to implement age assurance measures in Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to prevent under-18s from bypassing the Online Safety Act's restrictions [1].
The Online Safety Act 2023, effective from July 25, 2025, mandates that platforms hosting adult or harmful content use robust, reliable, and fair age verification methods [3]. These methods, such as photo ID checks, biometric selfie scans, and credit card validation, are designed to ensure users are properly verified regardless of location [3]. However, the widespread use of VPNs has surged, indicating many minors and others use these tools to spoof their location and bypass age checks [2].
To counteract VPN bypass, the government and regulators like Ofcom can pursue a layered approach. This includes enhancing VPN detection, collaborating with ISPs and infrastructure providers, mandating verification at multiple layers, adopting continuous behavioral and technical risk assessments, and implementing privacy-respecting multi-factor age assurance [1].
However, critics highlight challenges. VPN use is widespread and technologically sophisticated, and blocking it could risk collateral damage to legitimate users. Privacy advocates also warn about the risks of collecting sensitive biometric data [2][4][5]. Additionally, some smaller websites have ceased operations rather than face heavy compliance burdens [4].
The debate over the Online Safety Act and VPNs is expected to continue, as dragging global VPN providers into the fray could open a fresh front in the ongoing battle over online freedoms. The children's commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, is advocating for the UK government to amend the Online Safety Act to require VPN providers to implement Highly Effective Age Assurance to prevent underage users from accessing pornographic sites [1].
Meanwhile, the government has stated that VPNs are legal tools for adults, and there are no plans to ban them. However, platforms that deliberately push workarounds like VPNs to children face tough enforcement and heavy fines [1]. Watchdog Ofcom has opened investigations into 34 high-traffic adult platforms serving millions of UK users for potential non-compliance with the new age checks [1].
Since the implementation of the new age checks, there has been a significant drop in British traffic to Pornhub, falling from 3.2 million in July to 2 million in the first nine days of August [2]. This drop in traffic follows the UK switching on mandatory age checks for commercial porn sites on July 25, 2023 [2].
It is a complex issue, with concerns about child protection, privacy, and internet freedom all playing a part. The road ahead may not be easy, but the conversation is crucial in ensuring a safer and more responsible digital landscape for our children.
References: [1] BBC News. (2023). UK children's commissioner calls for VPN age checks. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-65235332
[2] The Guardian. (2023). Pornhub traffic plunges in UK after age checks come into force. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/aug/08/pornhub-traffic-plunges-in-uk-after-age-checks-come-into-force
[3] Online Safety Bill. (2021). Age verification. [online] Available at: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/online-safety-bill-committee/news-parliament-2021/age-verification-17-21/
[4] TechCrunch. (2023). Smaller adult websites are shutting down rather than comply with the UK's age verification rules. [online] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2023/07/28/smaller-adult-websites-are-shutting-down-rather-than-comply-with-the-uks-age-verification-rules/
[5] Wired. (2023). The UK's New Porn Law Is Already Breaking the Internet. [online] Available at: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/uk-online-porn-law-censorship-age-verification-vpn
