UK Official Promises Statements 'Around VPNs' and Further Teen Restrictions on Chatbots and Social Media (pcgamer.com)
(Sunday June 21, 2026 @05:55PM (EditorDavid)
from the UK-VPNs dept.)
- Reference: 0184022476
- News link: https://news.slashdot.org/story/26/06/21/2052213/uk-official-promises-statements-around-vpns-and-further-teen-restrictions-on-chatbots-and-social-media
- Source link: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/many-people-want-to-use-vpns-for-privacy-that-is-important-but-we-know-that-some-children-use-them-to-get-around-restrictions-uk-government-considering-vpn-ban/
[1] PC Gamer reports :
> The UK government is considering [2]an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying that the ban [3]could take effect as soon as spring next year . As for the much nearer future, Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall [4]told BBC Breakfast earlier this week, "We will make further statements in July about VPNs and further restrictions."
>
> To be clear, no specific restrictions have yet been announced and Kendall sounded somewhat cautious about an outright ban [5]during a parliament debate that took place the same day . "I have commissioned further research about their usage. There are really important issues to balance here," she says. "Many people want to use VPNs for privacy — that is important — but we know that some children use them to get around restrictions. I will come back to that in July in our response to the consultation." So, we'll have to wait until next month for anything definite, but it's hard not to feel like a full ban on VPNs is already on the table. If that does come to pass, more than the contents of my Bluesky inbox will be at stake.
>
> Utah in the US has [6]already tried to implement a full VPN ban (though this was postponed until September after Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, [7]challenged the law in court) ... [T]he UK could just be the next domino after Utah, potentially setting off a chain reaction that affects users around the world.
The article also argues that age checks can also be a privacy nightmare "with the security breach that [8]exposed the personal info of 70,000 Discord users last year being one case in point."
Here's the complete statement [9]from UK Technology Secretary Kendall . "I'll come back in July with a further statement around VPNs but also additional measures that we want to look at, further restrictions on AI chatbots that parents have found very worrying, more about overnight curfews or breaks in doomscrolling for 16- and 17-year-olds."
[1] https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/many-people-want-to-use-vpns-for-privacy-that-is-important-but-we-know-that-some-children-use-them-to-get-around-restrictions-uk-government-considering-vpn-ban/
[2] https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/from-today-australian-teens-and-children-under-16-cant-sign-up-to-twitch-and-9-other-social-media-platforms-as-world-first-ban-takes-effect/
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/15/keir-starmer-social-media-ban-under-16s-tik-tok-instagram-snapchat-twitter-x-meta-uk-politics-latest-news-updates
[4] https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/2066788360606138759
[5] https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-06-15/debates/D7F73285-1B09-409A-B9CA-49AED9B76D10/SocialMediaBanForUnder-16S
[6] https://www.pcgamer.com/software/a-utah-age-verification-law-targeting-vpn-users-goes-into-effect-this-week/
[7] https://mashable.com/life/utah-vpn-porn-ban-on-hold-until-september-3
[8] https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/one-of-the-worst-case-scenarios-for-id-age-verification-is-already-here-with-a-discord-breach-compromising-some-users-data/
[9] https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/2066788360606138759
> The UK government is considering [2]an Australia-style ban on social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying that the ban [3]could take effect as soon as spring next year . As for the much nearer future, Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall [4]told BBC Breakfast earlier this week, "We will make further statements in July about VPNs and further restrictions."
>
> To be clear, no specific restrictions have yet been announced and Kendall sounded somewhat cautious about an outright ban [5]during a parliament debate that took place the same day . "I have commissioned further research about their usage. There are really important issues to balance here," she says. "Many people want to use VPNs for privacy — that is important — but we know that some children use them to get around restrictions. I will come back to that in July in our response to the consultation." So, we'll have to wait until next month for anything definite, but it's hard not to feel like a full ban on VPNs is already on the table. If that does come to pass, more than the contents of my Bluesky inbox will be at stake.
>
> Utah in the US has [6]already tried to implement a full VPN ban (though this was postponed until September after Aylo, the parent company of Pornhub, [7]challenged the law in court) ... [T]he UK could just be the next domino after Utah, potentially setting off a chain reaction that affects users around the world.
The article also argues that age checks can also be a privacy nightmare "with the security breach that [8]exposed the personal info of 70,000 Discord users last year being one case in point."
Here's the complete statement [9]from UK Technology Secretary Kendall . "I'll come back in July with a further statement around VPNs but also additional measures that we want to look at, further restrictions on AI chatbots that parents have found very worrying, more about overnight curfews or breaks in doomscrolling for 16- and 17-year-olds."
[1] https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/many-people-want-to-use-vpns-for-privacy-that-is-important-but-we-know-that-some-children-use-them-to-get-around-restrictions-uk-government-considering-vpn-ban/
[2] https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/from-today-australian-teens-and-children-under-16-cant-sign-up-to-twitch-and-9-other-social-media-platforms-as-world-first-ban-takes-effect/
[3] https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/jun/15/keir-starmer-social-media-ban-under-16s-tik-tok-instagram-snapchat-twitter-x-meta-uk-politics-latest-news-updates
[4] https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/2066788360606138759
[5] https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2026-06-15/debates/D7F73285-1B09-409A-B9CA-49AED9B76D10/SocialMediaBanForUnder-16S
[6] https://www.pcgamer.com/software/a-utah-age-verification-law-targeting-vpn-users-goes-into-effect-this-week/
[7] https://mashable.com/life/utah-vpn-porn-ban-on-hold-until-september-3
[8] https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/one-of-the-worst-case-scenarios-for-id-age-verification-is-already-here-with-a-discord-breach-compromising-some-users-data/
[9] https://x.com/BBCBreakfast/status/2066788360606138759
Propaganda Backfired (Score:2)
by Kunedog ( 1033226 )
The gov made a "video game" meant to convince kids that thinking, exploring ideas, and especially protesting were the worst things you could possibly do, and backfired pretty badly:
[1]https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Best to cut teens off from social media altogether lest they explore ideas there anyway, I suppose.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yakXjwv5BnI
Re: (Score:3)
by Valgrus Thunderaxe ( 8769977 )
Are you going to make Welsh the national language?
That might be necessary if the UK decides to ban vowels next.
Re: (Score:1)
by Black Parrot ( 19622 )
> Are you going to make Welsh the national language?
No!!! Even the Celts were interlopers.
And probably not the first.
Full ban? (Score:2)
by allo ( 1728082 )
Or just a ban for VPNs that don't store customer data? For age verification only, of course ...
Distribute USB sticks with the tor browser (Score:2)
by xack ( 5304745 )
Before it's too late.
A mirror into the future of the West. (Score:1)
UK official promises increased surveillance against their citizens. VPNs, chatbots, social media, cameras, spyware built into Operating Systems... there is nothing you do anywhere in society that you will not be punished for - even if we have to invent new laws to get you.
Re: (Score:1)
> And this is somehow better "In the East"?
No, it's just that we naively didn't expect it from "the West".