Story perspectives

UK rejects VPN bans, imposes teen curfew and autoplay block.

7/16/2026

Summary

Story summary

Kanishka Narayan and Liz Kendall said the UK will not restrict VPNs.
Coalition of 24 groups and VPN providers warned limiting VPNs would harm privacy, citing research that 26 % of 11- to 17-year-olds use VPNs and 7-10 % do so to bypass age checks.
The government will ask Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office to report by October on VPN detection for age-verification.
Rules will impose midnight-to-6 am curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds and disable autoplay.

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Story summary

Kanishka Narayan and Liz Kendall said the UK will not restrict VPNs.
Coalition of 24 groups and VPN providers warned limiting VPNs would harm privacy, citing research that 26 % of 11- to 17-year-olds use VPNs and 7-10 % do so to bypass age checks.
The government will ask Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office to report by October on VPN detection for age-verification.
Rules will impose midnight-to-6 am curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds and disable autoplay.