Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children in the UK accessing pornography websites through virtual private network services.

Government-commissioned research found that 7% of 13- to 17-year- olds reported using a VPN and seeing explicit sexual content online in a three-month period. The research also found that VPNs are not the most common method by which children bypass age restrictions online.

The Government has announced a package of measures to address the circumvention of online safety protections, and is prepared to take further action if future evidence shows that circumvention is becoming a more significant problem and is not being adequately addressed.