Nigel Farage says UK's teen social media ban is 'unlikely to work' — but will VPNs really help children get around the restrictions?

• Reform UK's leader, Nigel Farage, says the UK's teen social media ban is "unlikely to work" due to VPN use
• Social media providers are expected to prevent under-16s in the UK from using their platforms
• While digital rights experts say circumvention is easy, the UK Prime Minister insists the ban is enforceable

Nigel Farage said the government's plan to ban under-16s from social media platforms is "unlikely to work" due to the "mass adoption of VPNs."

Following the British Prime Minister's announcement, the leader of Reform UK took to X to express his skepticism, adding that while "well-intentioned," the ban will lead to "the introduction of Digital ID via the back door."

VPN services are security tools that millions of Brits use on a daily basis to secure their internet connection and improve their digital privacy. However, as they can allow people to change their IP address and spoof their location, they can also be used to evade mandatory age checks.

When asked whether children may use VPNs to bypass restrictions, Keir Starmer told reporters that authorities "can enforce" the ban.

"I'm not prepared to say that because some children may try to get around it — and some may get around it — that is not a good reason to take the act of banning. I just don't accept that," he said.

UK's social media ban: all we know

Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, X, Instagram, Facebook, and gaming platforms operating in the UK will soon need to prevent access to all under-16 users. It is expected to come into effect in spring 2027.

The ban specifically targets "user-to-user platforms" that enable public social interaction, with messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal excluded from the bill.

Building on the Australian model, the UK government promises to "go further than a blanket ban." As per the official announcement, the rules will include blocks on some harmful functions, such as livestreaming and stranger communication with children under-16s.

Lawmakers are also looking into potential curfews and breaks in infinite scrolling for under-18s, with more details expected in July.

It's not clear how platforms are expected to enforce these requirements, but the announcement suggests that mandatory age verification checks could be strengthened.

Whether a virtual private network (VPN) or similar tool could help children bypass the new rules will depend on how social media providers decide to implement age checks. This means that VPNs may work with some services and not with others.

VPNs could be used to mask people's location and make tech platforms think a user is based outside the UK. However, this is unlikely to work if checks are carried out at the App Store or device level.

Social media platforms are likely to know where their users are based due to someone's past activity. Additionally, platforms could work out a user's true location using a variety of different techniques, including network and SIM card data, and in-app GPS tracking.

However, there may still be other ways to circumvent the restrictions.

According to James Baker, Platform Power and Freedom of Expression Programme Manager at Open Rights Group, there are a "host of ways" a young person could circumvent a ban that don’t require a VPN connection.

He told TechRadar: "Evidence from Australia showed that many young people circumvented age checks by tricking the facial age estimation, or borrowing identity documents."

As more details become available, we will have a better understanding of how the ban will work in practice and any potential workarounds.

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