Privacy & Security

UK drops plans to restrict VPNs for under-16s: what was decided and what comes next

After months of warnings from privacy groups, ministers have decided not to limit or age-gate VPNs as part of the new teen social media rules. The responsibility shifts to platforms, and a regulator report is due this month.

By OwnYourStack Admin · Published

Illustration of a teenager on a bed using a smartphone, surrounded by social media icons, with a glowing VPN shield and keyhole beside them
The UK has decided not to restrict VPNs for under-16s © OwnYourStack

If you use a VPN in the UK, whether for privacy on public Wi-Fi, to protect your home connection or to reach your own home lab remotely, the proposals floated earlier this year looked worrying. In July, the government changed course.

What was proposed, and what was decided

In February, ministers said they were considering limits on VPN access for under-16s to stop children circumventing age checks on social media. Privacy groups and VPN providers objected that enforcing an age limit on VPNs would in practice mean identity checks for everyone.

By mid-July the plan had gone. According to TechRadar and The Next Web, Online Safety Minister Kanishka Narayan said: “We decided not to limit VPNs.” Technology Secretary Liz Kendall later confirmed in a written statement that VPNs will not be age-gated or banned because “VPNs have legitimate privacy and security uses”.

The research behind the U-turn

A study by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology covering more than 2,000 children found:

  • About a quarter (26%) of 11- to 17-year-olds have used a VPN, mostly for privacy.
  • Only around 7–10% use one to reach age-restricted content.
  • 45% of those who get around age checks simply enter a false date of birth.

What happens instead

Responsibility moves to the platforms, which must take “robust steps” to stop under-age users from getting around age checks. Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office are due to report by October on what a robust over-16 age check looks like, and Ofcom will also look at how platforms can detect VPN use. Ministers say they will talk to VPN providers about voluntary measures and keep the area “under close review”.

The wider package of teen protections is due to take effect in early 2027. Reported details include default midnight-to-6am social media curfews for 16- and 17-year-olds, autoplay and personalised infinite feeds switched off by default, and mandatory breaks for under-18s using AI chatbots.

What it means for you

  • Nothing changes today: VPNs remain legal and unrestricted for adults and children alike.
  • Watch the October reports: the Ofcom and ICO findings will show how far platforms may go in detecting VPN traffic, which could affect how some services treat VPN users.
  • Self-hosters: a WireGuard or Tailscale link to your own home server is not affected by any of this, but it is a reminder that rules aimed at consumer VPN apps can have side effects.

We will update this story when the regulator reports are published.

You might also like