Proposed amendments to a UK bill aim to restrict children under 16 from using social media and virtual private networks to enhance online safety. Legal experts warn that these measures could require adults to undergo age verification for everyday online services, potentially compromising privacy. The changes build on the Online Safety Act, which took effect in July 2025 but has loopholes that tech-savvy users exploit.
The United Kingdom's Online Safety Act (OSA) entered into force in July 2025, requiring websites to prevent children from accessing pornography and other content deemed dangerous by the government. However, enforcement challenges persist, as facial-recognition age verification can be bypassed with screenshots of video game characters, and VPNs allow users to mask their location to appear from countries without such mandates. Following a reported 77 percent drop in UK visits to a major pornography site, attributed likely to users rerouting traffic, opposition peers in the House of Lords have introduced amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.
Originally focused on supporting children in care and improving education quality, the bill now incorporates online safety provisions. One amendment would prohibit children under 16 from "user-to-user services," a broad category encompassing social media, Wikipedia, WhatsApp, forums, and even shared family calendars. Another seeks to ban VPN use for those under 16.
Digital rights expert Heather Burns described the bill as having become a “monster,” with unrelated topics like school milk debated alongside online safety. Neil Brown, a lawyer at decoded.legal, called the amendments “dreadful,” arguing they could criminalize children's access to essential services and force adults into age checks that expose browsing data to risks like government surveillance or hacks. He questioned the underlying problem these measures address, noting consensus that the OSA is flawed but disagreement on solutions—child safety advocates want stricter rules, while rights groups see overreach.
James Baker of the Open Rights Group highlighted how the amendments empower the secretary of state for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to expand regulated services at will, mandating digital age credentials and biometric data submission. Burns cautioned about a potential paper trail of online habits, citing a recent US Congress demand for Wikipedia edit data on the Israel-Palestine conflict as an example of possible future abuses.
The Labour government has indicated separate consultations on VPN bans and social media access for children. Similar restrictions exist in Australia for those under 16, with the European Union considering comparable laws. The Department for Education referred inquiries to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, which did not respond.
