GoKawiilThe European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) has warned that virtual private networks (VPNs) are increasingly being used to bypass online age-verification systems, describing the trend as “a loophole in the legislation that needs closing.”
The warning comes as governments across Europe and elsewhere continue expanding online child-safety rules that require platforms to verify users’ ages before granting access to adult or age-restricted content.
VPNs are privacy tools designed to encrypt internet traffic and hide a user’s IP address by routing connections through remote servers. While widely used for legitimate purposes such as protecting communications, avoiding surveillance, and enabling secure remote work, regulators are increasingly concerned that the same technology allows minors to circumvent regional age checks.
The EPRS notes that VPN usage surged after mandatory age-verification laws took effect in countries including the United Kingdom and several US states. In the UK, where online services are now required to prevent children from accessing harmful content, VPN apps reportedly dominated download charts after the law came into force.
Virtual private networks #VPN are increasingly used to bypass online age verification.
Protecting children online is a priority, with new rules being implemented requiring a minimum age for access to some services
Read👉 https://t.co/XKK8ACwgtf#DSA @EP_Justice @FZarzalejos pic.twitter.com/kqzqTVGkRI — European Parliamentary Research Service (@EP_EPRS) May 6, 2026
The document explicitly frames VPNs as a regulatory gap, stating that some policymakers and child-safety advocates believe VPN access itself should require age verification. England’s Children’s Commissioner has also called for VPN services to be restricted to adults only.
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