UK Government Rejects Proposed VPN Restrictions Amid New Youth-Online Safety Rules

On BBC Breakfast, Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan announced that the United Kingdom will not limit virtual private networks (VPNs) as part of its upcoming online-safety legislation. The decision was reiterated in a written parliamentary statement by Technology Secretary Liz Kendall, who said the government will not age-gate or ban “the best VPN software” because “VPNs have legitimate privacy and security uses.” Responsibility for preventing under-age circumvention of age-verification measures now rests on social-media platforms, with Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office tasked to report by October on detection methods.

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The shift follows a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) report showing that while 26 % of 11- to 17-year-olds use VPNs, only 7-10 % do so to bypass age checks; most cite privacy concerns. The government will instead press platforms to implement stronger age-verification tools and introduce default curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds (midnight-6 am). Additional safeguards include disabling autoplay and infinite-scroll feeds by default and requiring mandatory breaks for under-18s using AI chatbots.

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A coalition of 24 digital-rights groups and VPN providers—including Amnesty International, ExpressVPN, NordVPN, Surfshark and Mozilla—issued an open letter to Secretary of State Liz Kendall urging the government to leave VPNs untouched. The letter warned that age-gating would force users to surrender sensitive personal data and that “blocking VPN traffic reliably is technically infeasible,” risking disruption for employers, schools and ordinary citizens. It called for focus on platform-obligation enforcement, parental-control tools, digital-literacy investment and privacy-by-design requirements.

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• DSIT research: 26 % of 11- to 17-year-olds use VPNs; 7-10 % for age-check bypass.

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• Ofcom data cited by the coalition: only ~3 % of children used VPNs to access adult-rated content.

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• The same research found 45 % of teens simply enter a false birthdate to evade restrictions.

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Ofcom and the ICO will deliver a joint report by October outlining how platforms can better detect and prevent VPN-based circumvention. The government also plans voluntary engagement with VPN providers to explore non-intrusive safeguards while the broader online-safety framework takes effect in early 2027.

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Verbatim Quotes

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• “We decided not to limit VPNs.” — Kanishka Narayan, Online Safety Minister

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• “VPNs have legitimate privacy and security uses.” — Liz Kendall, Technology Secretary

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• “This is about giving these older children more choice and control over the feeds and reducing that sense that they can never switch off being online.” — Liz Kendall

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• “Restricting VPNs would undercut security.” — coalition open letter

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• “The challenge is ensuring measures strengthen child safety without weakening the privacy and security millions of people rely on every day, including children.” — coalition open letter

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• “Blocking VPN traffic reliably is technically infeasible.” — coalition open letter

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