New legislation in the UK aims to restrict children’s access to social media and virtual private networks (VPNs), a move that legal experts warn could complicate adult users’ experiences by requiring age verification for sites they frequent daily.

The UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA), enacted in July 2025, mandates that websites shield children from adult content deemed inappropriate. While the initiative is designed to enhance online safety, tech-savvy youth may find ways around these restrictions.

Using facial recognition technology for age verification, children can easily bypass restrictions by presenting screenshots of gaming characters. VPNs allow users to access sites as if they are operating from countries with less stringent age requirements.

Notably, the UK has seen a 77% drop in visitors to its most trafficked adult site since the OSA’s implementation, with many opting to adjust their settings to appear as though they are accessing services from less regulated regions.

Members of the House of Lords are advocating for amendments to the forthcoming Child Welfare and Schools Bill to address these loopholes. Given its extensive representation, this proposal could significantly influence social media policies.

This bill, introduced by the Ministry of Education, aims to enhance the care of children and improve educational quality. However, digital rights advocates like Heather Burns contend that the online safety measures have been inappropriately integrated into unrelated legislation, creating a bewildering “monster” of a bill.

During discussions, Burns pointed out the disjointed nature of the debate, saying lawmakers oscillate between online safety discussions and unrelated topics like school lunches. “They are consolidating unresolved issues regarding the OSA into this legislation,” she asserted.

One amendment under consideration could prohibit social media use for kids under 16, broadly categorizing “user-to-user services,” which may inadvertently include platforms like Wikipedia, WhatsApp, and even shared family calendars.

Another proposed change would restrict VPN usage for those under 16, yet the effectiveness of such measures is questionable given the ease with which age verification tools can be manipulated.

According to Neil Brown from the law firm Decoded.legal, these amendments could inadvertently criminalize various everyday services used by children, forcing adults to verify their ages and compromising their privacy through data exposure.

“I believe these amendments are fundamentally flawed,” Brown asserts. “Banning children from social media does not address the underlying problems.” He emphasizes the need for clarity regarding the issues lawmakers aim to resolve.

While there is consensus that the OSA requires significant revisions, opinions diverge on how to achieve this, with child safety activists seeking more stringent measures and digital rights advocates advocating for deregulation.

Brown remains skeptical about the likelihood of these proposals passing, considering the Labour government’s stances. Further discussions on VPN bans and social media restrictions are necessary. Notably, Australia has already prohibited social media for those under 16, and the EU is weighing similar regulations.

James Baker, a spokesperson for the Open Rights Group, expressed concerns that allowing the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology to arbitrarily add services to a restricted list poses a serious risk to individual freedoms.

“This could necessitate adults disclosing sensitive personal and biometric information merely to access legal content,” Baker warned, stressing the need for a balanced approach to child safety without overreach into personal privacy. “The implications could lead to a significant and dangerous extension of state control,” he added.

Burns cautioned that this legislation might create a permanent record of individuals’ browsing data, potentially leading to future risks. A recent instance in the U.S. involved the Congressional Oversight and Government Reform Committee issuing a request for Wikipedia user details, particularly on sensitive topics like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“This behavior breeds a culture of surveillance, and an age verification system would allow for data harvesting,” Burns concluded. “That’s the dystopian future envisioned by some in the UK with mandatory age verification.”

The Ministry of Education, responsible for proposing this bill, has not provided comments on the matter, as reported by New Scientist.