UK Government and Privacy Groups Clash Over Children's VPN Use

The Government of the United Kingdom released survey data showing that 26% of children have used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) in their lifetime, with 22% doing so in the last three months. The findings indicate that children use these tools to bypass mandatory age checks for gaming communities, region-locked media, and adult content. Government officials reported that 53% of children recently experienced harmful online exposures, including violent and sexually explicit content, often linked to multiplayer games.

In response to potential policy changes, a coalition of 24 digital rights organizations and VPN providers issued an open letter to Secretary of State Liz Kendall. The group, which includes Mozilla, Amnesty International and providers like NordVPN, argued that implementing age-gating for VPNs would force users to surrender sensitive personal data and undermine online anonymity. The coalition claimed such restrictions are technically unfeasible and cited Ofcom research suggesting only 3% of children use VPNs to access age-restricted content.

The coalition urged the government to prioritize platform obligations and digital literacy over the restriction of privacy tools. The government intends to use its survey findings to inform future policy development regarding online safety and the circumvention of age verification tools.