Children who may have access to the internet, in these modern times, will not be able to accidentally stumble across harmful adult content, with new regulations under the Online Safety Act. For over-18s, virtual private networks (VPNs) are still accessible and fully legal – for adults – however since the law has changed, regulators have been warned that older teenagers may feel encouraged to explore the loophole of using a VPN. Private networks can even disguise the IP address of a user’s exact location.
The government has been warned the integrity of the new rules are at risk. The Children’s Commissioner for England has quickly admitted that VPNs need to be included in age verification rules. Whilst the latest requirements of the Online Safety Act have only been passed, the commissioner’s calls reflecting a major oversight must not be ignored.
Dame Rachel de Souza told BBC Newsnight it was “absolutely a loophole that needs closing”. The government responded suggesting there were no plans to ban VPNs, which are legal tools for adults. VPNs shot to the most downloaded apps on Apple’s App Store after pornsites themselves once the strict rules were enacted.
Despite no plans to ban VPNs, the spokesperson said, “but if platforms deliberately push workarounds like VPNs to children, they face tough enforcement and heavy fines.”
