Birmingham Daily
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UK Government Rejects VPN Ban, Introduces Social Media Curfew for Youth

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 vpn socialmedia curfew youth internetsafety ukgovernment onlineprotection freespeech digitalwellbeing technologypolicy

The UK government has decided not to impose restrictions on virtual private networks (VPNs) for 16- and 17-year-olds, despite concerns about their use to bypass social media age limits. This decision comes as Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer confirms a new social media curfew, banning access between midnight and 6am for younger users. VPNs, which can mask a user’s location to circumvent online age checks, were considered a potential loophole in enforcing age-appropriate online access.