Online Safety Act 2023: Virtual Private Networks
Debate between Lord Leong and Viscount Colville of Culross
Lord Leong (Lab)
My Lords, the Online Safety Act places very clear duties on platforms to protect children, including tackling methods of circumvention. The use of VPNs to bypass safeguards is a known risk, and platforms must act decisively. They are already required to assess such risks and implement proportionate measures. Ofcom will hold platforms to account. The Act requires Ofcom to produce and publish a report assessing how effective the use of age assurance has been and whether there are factors that prevented or hindered the effective use of age assurance. These will be published by June 2026.
Viscount Colville of Culross (CB)
My Lords, will the Minister support calls for app stores not to provide VPNs to children in this country?
Lord Leong (Lab)
My Lords, many people use VPNs for entirely legitimate purposes. Their use does not negate the protections of the Online Safety Act, particularly when it comes to keeping children safe online. We have seen a significant increase in the use of age-verification tools as UK users attempt to access age-restricted content. Since the child safety duties came into force, the Age Verification Providers Association has reported an additional 5 million age checks being carried out each day in the initial period. The Act is already driving real change and stronger protections for children.