The Labour government is under mounting pressure to curb VPN usage as millions of Britons scramble to download the tools after new age rules kick in.
The new age verification rules in the UK worked from July 25 and almost immediately people found ways to get around them, with VPN downloads spiking across the country. Now the government faces calls to do something in response.
What Are the New Rules?
In the UK, since July 25, anyone who wants to go to certain websites has to verify they are over the age limit by scanning a passport or credit card. The new rules come under the Online Safety Act, which has been years in the making and was supposed to be aimed at preventing children from accessing adult sites but that did not turn out to be exactly what happened.
Since the new checks came into force, VPN sign-ups in the UK have experience a huge spike, as it was found that using an alternative means of browsing – a VPN lets you appear to be online from another country, so the rules simply don’t apply.
Is a VPN Ban Coming?
That is what is being asked. Platforms cannot actually promote VPNs under the new Act but preventing people from using them is a different matter.
The Labour government’s been a tightrope walker. While Minister for Digital Government Ian Murray says the government is “monitoring” VPN usage, he’s not talking about “implementing a blanket ban” just yet. And Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State, says banning VPNs is “not on the cards” because they’re “essential to data protection for businesses”.
But pressure is mounting. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology opened a public consultation on digital safety on March 2, asking the public to weigh in on whether social media platforms should be subject to a minimum age requirement – and whether there should be an age check for VPN access.
In January, the House of Lords voted to introduce an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill that would require VPN providers to run their own age-gating system. Because most votes on the amendment were opposed by the Labour Party, it’s almost certainly going to have a hard time being passed once the Bill comes back to the House of Commons.
What do people think?
While the public is split, there’s a clear majority who want a ban on children accessing VPNs. Of those surveyed by YouGov, 55 per cent of the public are in favour of a ban for minors, while only 20 per cent think they should be allowed to use them.
Majorities in favour of all four main parties – the Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, Labour and Reform UK – showed robust support for a ban on under-18s.
But of course not everyone is happy with the idea. Reform’s Zia Yusuf said Britain was “rapidly descending into some kind of dystopia” and said the Online Safety Act “does absolutely nothing to protect children” and instead “suppresses freedom of speech.”
As there are no bannings on the cards as yet, but the government will be watching and it’s likely that MPs, the Lords and citizens will put pressure on changes to the rules governing the use of VPNs to come about faster than people expect.
Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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