- The Secretary of Sciences of the United Kingdom guarantees that it is not planned to prohibit VPN
- However, the government is looking for “very closely” how VPNs are used
- The VPN demand skyrocketed in the United Kingdom from Friday July 25, 2025, while the British seek means to avoid checks for the new age
The request for VPN in the United Kingdom has skyrocketed overnight since the checks of the new age have been applied because the British are looking for ways to get around new requirements. This has aroused concerns that the authorities could end up prohibiting their use.
The Secretary of Sciences of the United Kingdom, Peter Kyle, says that it is not planned to ban VPNs. Kyle, however, confirmed that the government would seek “very closely” how the best VPN applications are used.
“Some people find their way [the legislation]. Very few children will actively seek harmful content, “Kyle said in an interview with Sky News today, July 29, 2025 – The Guardian.
From Friday, July 25, 2025, all the platforms displaying only or harmful content for adults must apply solid age verification checks under the online safety law.
As the OFCOM explains on its website, “checking a box to say that you are over 18 years old will not be enough.”
This means that all websites reserved for users over 18 must ensure that minors never access their services via identification checks. Above all, social media, dating applications and game platforms should also check the age of their users before displaying them potentially dangerous materials.
These new requirements have so far aroused concerns about data confidentiality, security, freedom of expression and access to information.
A petition to repeal the British online security law has already reached more than 340,000 at the time of writing this document.
The head of reform of the United Kingdom, Nigel Farage, also strongly pushes to suppress what he described as dystopian legislation “Borderline” – Le Guardian.
VPNS and age checks – what to know
VPN services are a popular way to get around geo-restaurants, such as those imposed by streaming platforms. Indeed, a VPN usrier your real IP address and assigns you a new temporary based in the same place as the VPN server that you join. This makes it possible to deceive the sites you visit by thinking that you are in a different country.
Given the sudden peak of using VPNs across the country, the inhabitants of the United Kingdom probably know this.
A popular supplier, Proton VPN, recorded an hourly increase of more than 1,400% from Friday at midnight. Adguard VPN has also confirmed to Techradar that registrations have increased by 2.5 times in just a few days. TOP10VPN data show a continuous increase in VPN demand by more than 500% since Friday.
At the time of writing, the use of a VPN in the United Kingdom is completely legal, and using one to bypass new age checks should not be considered a crime.
The OFCOM’s UK regulator organ, OFCOM,, however, strongly suggests against their use. Obviously, without much success so far.
Will the government find a way to prevent people from bypassing measures of the new online security law via VPN?
It is too early to find out with certainty, but a ban seems to be out of cards – for the moment, at least.
