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UK government considers VPN ban for under-16s – as privacy advocates slam proposal as a 'draconian crackdown'

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Access to the privacy tools could be limited for children

UK Prime Minister delivering a speech on children's online safety reforms
(Image credit: WPA Pool / Getty Images)
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The UK government continues to exert pressure on the best VPNs as Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced "immediate action" in its steps to make children safe online.

Following an initial consultation, the government is immediately targeting illegal AI-generated content, but an additional consultation will examine age-restricting, or limiting, children's VPN use.

The government's announcement comes a few weeks after the UK House of Lords voted for a VPN ban for children – a decision expected to be overturned by the House of Commons.

"Closing the loopholes"

In a press release and speech, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the government is "closing the loopholes that put children at risk." The latest consultation follows action taken against illegal AI-generated images, with the Prime Minister saying "no platform gets a free pass."

The next consultation – which launches in March 2026 – aims to "confront the full range of risks children face online." Alongside examining restricting the use of AI chatbots for children and changing the digital age of consent, VPNs will be investigated.

"Options to age restrict or limit children’s VPN use" will be considered "where it undermines safety protections."

The government has faced pressure from the Lords, and fellow MPs, to implement VPN restrictions and wider social media bans. In January 2026, the House of Lords passed an amendment to the Children's Wellbeing and Schools bill 207 votes to 159.

The amendment called for a VPN ban for under 16s within 12 months of the bill becoming law. However, this amendment isn't expected to pass in the House of Commons.

UK Palace of Westminster at dusk

(Image credit: Hans-Peter Merten / Getty Images)

MPs have also called for a VPN ban. Members from parties across the political spectrum have called for VPNs to introduce age verification. In December 2025, Minister of State for Digital Government and Data, Ian Murray, said "the VPN issue" would be investigated.

All this stems from the introduction of the UK's Online Safety Act (OSA) back in July 2025. The Act introduced age-verification checks for sites and apps hosting adult content. But VPNs were seen as an easy way to bypass checks and many experts warned of the cybersecurity risks associated with age verification.

Privacy advocates outraged

Privacy advocates are fairly unanimous in their opposition to the government's move, citing privacy concerns and the potential for restrictions to impact adults, as well as children.

Maya Thomas, Legal & Policy Officer at UK-based civil liberties group, Big Brother Watch, said restricting VPN use for children "represents a draconian crackdown on the civil liberties of children and adults alike."

Thomas said it would lead to VPNs introducing age-checks for all users, not just children. Thomas added this "utterly defeats the point" of using privacy tools in the first place.

A diagram showing how a VPN works, with a laptop icon sending traffic into an encrypted tunnel that's represented by a lock, and through a VPN server icon, to the internet, which is shown by a globe and cloud icon. Around the tunnel, there are arrows bouncing off the tunnel from icons representing hackers, ISPs, advertisers and the government - showing that the VPN is protecting the traffic from the laptop

VPNs protect your privacy online, and strict no-logs policies mean your internet traffic and personal data isn't stored or shared. Some information is already held on you by VPN companies – credit card information and email address being the most common – but reputable VPNs never link this to your actual online activity.

Whether VPN companies could determine age based on this information, or more would be needed, is unclear. However, VPN companies have warned against age-verification laws and the dangers of collecting sensitive personal information like government IDs. Beginning to collect this data and enforcing age checks would seemingly go against their privacy-focused values.

A population divided

YouGov shared the results of a survey which asked Britons: Do you think under 18s should be allowed to use VPNs, or should they be banned from using them?

The survey was completed back in August 2025, with 55% of respondents saying VPNs should be banned for under 18s. 20% said they shouldn't, and 25% said they didn't know.

Screenshot of responses to YouGov's VPN survey

(Image credit: YouGov / Future)

62% of women were in favor of a ban, compared to 47% of men. Respondents aged 65+ were the largest age group in favor of a ban, with 67%. Support for a ban decreased as age groups got younger.

The largest age group against a ban was those aged 18-24. 44% thought under 18s should be allowed to use VPNs.

Responses from supporters of four UK political parties – the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, the Labour Party, and Reform UK – all showed strong majorities in favor of a VPN ban for under 18s. Liberal Democrat supporters had the smallest majority, with 54%. Conservative supporters were the largest group, with 69% in favor of a ban.

Screenshots of various response categories to YouGov's VPN survey

(Image credit: YouGov / Future)

Commenters under YouGov's tweet were largely in opposition to a VPN ban. However, there were some expressing support and others casting doubt over potential technical applications.

What happens next?

The government has only announced a consultation, and no active steps are being taken to ban or restrict VPN use for children at the time of writing. However, it represents further pressure on the privacy tools and the squeezing of online freedoms.

We will monitor the developments of the consultation closely, alongside any legislation passing through the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Disclaimer

We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

George Phillips
George Phillips
Staff Writer

George is a Staff Writer at Tom's Guide, covering VPN, privacy, and cybersecurity news. He is especially interested in digital rights and censorship, and its interplay with politics. Outside of work, George is passionate about music, Star Wars, and Karate.

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