- UK Govt. to hold a three-month consultation to improve children’s online safety
- The hearing will include discussions on the use of VPNs
- A vote in the House of Lords voted in favor or banning VPNs for under 18s
Liz Kendall, the UK Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, has announced a three-month consultation to explore “further measures” to improve online safety for children, including potential restrictions on VPNs.
Ministers will consider action to address concerns that VPNs are being used to “bypass important safeguards”. The consultation, announced on Tuesday, will involve discussions with parents, security organisations, technology companies and young people.
The process will also consider banning social media for under-16s, preventing companies from collecting children’s data without consent, introducing night-time curfews and promoting solutions to curb “excessive doomscrolling”.
The announcement followed a government defeat in the House of Lords on Wednesday, with peers backing an amendment that would ban VPNs for children under 18 and force providers to implement age controls. Peers also voted to ban social media for under 16s.
Labor colleagues had urged the chamber to await the outcome of the hearing, but others argued that the time for consideration had passed. Baroness Kidron, across the bench, said: “Consultation is the playground of the technology lobbyist and inaction is the most powerful tool in politics.”
‘Dither and delay’
Liz Kendall has defended the consultation period. She said: “Listening to different views is the right and responsible approach.”
Labor MP Andrew Cooper supported the decision, highlighting the “risk” of children being driven into “less well-regulated spaces and into virtual private networks” following government restrictions.
Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch dismissed the consultation as “more shaking up and delays”. Badenoch has already confirmed that her party will introduce an immediate ban on social media for under-16s.
Kendall has committed to establishing a “clear stance by the summer”.
TechRadar has contacted the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology to clarify whether specific VPN providers will be included in the consultation process.
Peers vote to ban VPNs for under-18s
On Wednesday, the House of Lords voted to ban the use of under 18s. The House supported the amendment to the Child Welfare and Schools Bill by 207 votes to 159, marking a significant government defeat.
The amendment was introduced by Conservative peer Lord Nash, with the support of co-signatories including Baroness Benjamin and Baroness Cass.
Nash argued that the government’s consultation was “unnecessary, misguided and clearly a last-minute attempt to kick the can down the road”.
Ahead of the vote, Labour’s Lord Knight of Weymouth acknowledged that VPNs could “undermine the child safety gains of the Online Safety Act”, but warned that age-restricting apps could be “extremely problematic”. He said:
“My phone uses a VPN after a personal cyber consultation offered by this Parliament. VPNs can make us safer and we should not rush to deprive children of this safety.”
The amendment will now go to the House of Commons, where the government – which has a large majority – is expected to try to overturn it.
TechRadar has reached out to a number of peers involved in the poll.
