UK Lords vote to ban VPNs for children as pressure on the privacy tools increases

VPNs are facing increased pressure in the UK following a House of Lords vote to ban the privacy tools for under 18s.

The Lords have said they see VPNs as tools to evade online age checks and have called for a ban to "protect children's wellbeing."

A government consultation on social media use for under 16s has also been announced by the Secretary of State for Science, Technology, and Innovation, Liz Kendall. Part of the consultation will "address concerns" about VPN use.

The UK government has faced calls to crack down on the usage of the best VPNs following the introduction of the Online Safety Act (OSA) in July 2025.

While an all-out UK VPN ban is still unlikely, the increasing pressure on VPNs and online freedoms is concerning.

The House of Lords votes to age-restrict VPNs

On January 21, 2026, the UK's House of Lords passed amendments to the government's Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

One of those amendments called for children to be banned from using VPNs and it passed by 207 votes to 159. It said that, within 12 months of the Act being passed, "regulations which prohibit the provision to UK children of a Relevant VPN Service" must be enacted. It explained its purpose was for "furthering the protection and wellbeing of children."

The amendment was sponsored by Conservative Peer, Lord Nash, Liberal Democrat Peer, Baroness Benjamin, and Crossbench Peer, Baroness Cass. The amendment's explanatory statement said it would prohibit children using VPNs to evade the "OSA age-gating processes."

The amended bill will now return to the UK House of Commons, where MPs will discuss the proposals. The Labour government has a large majority in the Commons but it isn't clear whether it will attempt to overturn the amendment or support it.

Lords also voted 261 votes to 150 in favour of a social media ban for under 16s – similar to laws recently passed in Australia. Like the VPN amendment, this will return to the Commons for MPs to discuss.

"Address concerns about the use of VPNs"

In a statement delivered to the House of Commons, Liz Kendall said the government has launched a "three-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online."

Kendall called for more "rigorous enforcement" of existing age verification laws. The UK introduced OSA in July and it required users of sites and apps hosting adult content to complete age checks.

The Act sparked widespread debate. Supporters saw it as a necessary way of protecting children online, while opponents cited invasive personal data collection and cybersecurity risks.

VPN use surged in the UK following the Act's implementation. Many found that age checks could be bypassed by connecting to a VPN server in a different country.

As a result, the government said it would investigate VPNs. In Kendall's statement, she said the consultation would "address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections." Kendall didn't give examples of what action the government would take.

Some MPs have called for VPN bans or age restrictions on the privacy tools. In a December 2025 debate, Conservative MP, Peter Fortune, called for VPN use "to be examined further." Conservative MP, Julia Lopez, called for age checks on VPNs, and Labour Co-Op MP, Jim McMahon, said VPNs should "comply with the law" – referring to age verification rules.

In the same debate, government minister, Ian Murray, said "the VPN issue" would be investigated. At the time of OSA's launch, then Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, said he would look "very closely" at VPN use but ruled out a ban.

Kendall added that the consultation "will include the option of banning social media for children under 16." The Australian government recently introduced a similar measure, with under 16s blocked from having social media accounts.

Both moves represent an increasing pressure on VPNs and online privacy in the UK, following trends we have seen across the US, Australia, and mainland Europe.

Tom's Guide will continue to monitor developments and any decisions arising from the UK government consultation.