Hands off the VPNs Mozilla warns UK regulators that age-restricting VPNs "would undermine the privacy and security of all users," while failing to protect kids

Date:
Tue, 19 May 2026 09:31:49 +0000

Description:
Mozilla has pushed back against UK proposals to age-restrict VPNs, arguing that kids use them for safety, not to bypass age checks, and that mandatory
ID checks would put everyone at risk.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter The UK is consulting on whether to age-restrict VPNs to prevent minors from bypassing age checks Mozilla
warns that circumvention is a "marginal reason" kids use VPNs The company argues that forcing all users to verify their age will create massive data privacy risks The UK government is currently exploring new ways to protect children online, but its latest proposals have drawn sharp criticism from one of the internet's biggest privacy advocates.

Mozilla, the non-profit tech giant behind the Firefox browser and Mozilla VPN , has warned regulators that age-restricting virtual private networks (VPNs) "would undermine the privacy and security of all users". In a formal submission to the UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, Mozilla pushed back against a recent consultation that considers age-gating the best VPN services to stop minors from bypassing age checks mandated by
the Online Safety Act. You may like The UK warned 'not to undermine the open web' as Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill becomes law UK governments
child safety plans could expose kids to 'greater harms,' warns VPN industry group From essential security tools to restricted circumvention software: The EU signals that VPNs are the next target following the release of its age verification app

According to Mozilla, forcing every user to verify their age just to access a VPN would create massive new data vulnerabilities without actually solving
the problem of youth online safety.

"The protections children need are protections from the platforms collecting their data, not restrictions on the tools they use to shield themselves from that collection , " the company stated in its public submission . The circumvention myth (Image credit: SolStock/via Getty Images) The core of the government's argument is that children are primarily using VPNs as circumvention software to bypass age gates on social media and adult sites. However, Mozilla's submission highlights that this is a "marginal reason" for VPN use among minors.

Citing research from Internet Matters published in December 2025, Mozilla noted that only 8% of children had used a VPN in the previous twelve months. Of those, 66% did so to protect their personal data. A later study found that only 7% used a VPN to circumvent age restrictions, with most young users bypassing age gates simply by entering a fake birthdate or using a parent's login.

Instead, young people rely on VPNs for the same reasons adults do. Students regularly connect to public or school networks for homework, and VPN protection shields them from surveillance and tracking.

If the UK moves forward with mandatory age checks, VPN providers would be forced to verify the age of every single customer, requiring millions of adults to hand over sensitive identity documents.

Mozilla warned this would create an irresistible honeypot for hackers, pointing to a 2023 Discord data breach that leaked 70,000 user ID photos as proof of what happens when platforms collect sensitive documents at scale. What to read next Australia 'Swiss cheese-like age verification' may lead to
a VPN ban, and digital safety is at risk Australias age verification rules:
Is a VPN ban on the horizon? "Protecting children online is a parental responsibility, not a regulatory one" the VPN industry reacts to Government VPN spending amid discussions on restricting child VPN use A wider war on encryption This clash between privacy advocates and regulators is part of a broader trend. The UK government's child safety plans have repeatedly sparked warnings from the cybersecurity industry that treating VPNs as harmful circumvention tools could expose children to greater dangers.

Recently, Proton, Tor, Mullvad, and Mozilla were among 19 organizations
urging the UK government not to undermine the open web as new safety bills become law. The threat also extends beyond Britain, with the EU recently signaling that VPNs could face restrictions following the launch of its own age verification systems.

Rather than age-gating fundamental privacy tools, Mozilla is urging
regulators to enforce existing platform obligations under the Online Safety Act, encourage on-device parental controls, and invest in digital literacy.

As the company concluded in its official blog post : "We are concerned, however, that blunt interventions like mandatory age assurance and
restricting access to tools like VPNs are not effective in improving the protection afforded to young people online, while undermining the fundamental rights of all users." Today's best VPN deals NordVPN 2 Year 2.59 /mth View +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months 1.49 /mth View Proton VPN 24 Month 2.39 /mth View +4 MONTHS FREE ExpressVPN 24 month 1.99 /mth View PrivadoVPN - 24 Month Plan 1.11 /mth View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/hands-off-the-vpns-mozilla- warns-uk-regulators-that-age-restricting-vpns-would-undermine-the-privacy-and- security-of-all-users-while-failing-to-protect-kids


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