VPN ban on table after Wednesday with Labour set to issue new statement

The UK Labour government is set to issue a new statement on Wednesday regarding potential restrictions on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as part of the Online Safety Act. Technology Secretary Liz Kendall previously announced a ban on children using social media and AI chatbots by 2027, and hinted at further measures including VPN restrictions. The update comes amid concerns over children's online safety and enforcement of the new rules.

VPN ban on table after Wednesday with Labour set to issue new statement Ms Kendall hinted that further restrictions could be introduced on Virtual Private Networks VPNs too. New VPN rules are on the table for the UK from Wednesday - with the Labour Party https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/all-about/labour-party government set to issue a further update over restrictions. The Online Safety Act is continuing to roll on despite Sir Keir Starmer's resignation. Earlier this month, former Department for Work and Pensions DWP https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/all-about/dwp boss and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall announced a law change, set to be put in place by 2027, which will ban children from social media and AI chatbots. Then, while being grilled on BBC https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/all-about/bbc Breakfast, Ms Kendall hinted that further restrictions could be introduced on Virtual Private Networks VPNs too. READ MORE Andy Burnham council tax rule would hand households in England £556 discount Ms Kendall said: “I said I’d come back in July with a further statement around VPN but also additional measures we want to look at, further restrictions on AI chatbots that parents have found very worrying, more overnight curfews or breaks in doomscrolling for 16 and 17 year olds. “So yesterday’s announcement was the first of the measures and the reason we have done that is the sooner we make a decision on the main question of the ban, the sooner we can get it through Parliament and the sooner it will come into practice. “Because many families are desperate for this to happen and I listen particularly to bereaved families that say the longer we delay this, the more children are put at risk. And I took that very seriously.” With July set to begin on Wednesday, it means an update from the government is imminent. Ms Kendall told the Commons previously: "I will set out further details once our pilot schemes are finished in my next statement in July. "I know that not everybody supports a ban. I have listened carefully to these concerns and want to take each in turn. First, we’ve seen in Australia that many children will try and succeed in getting around a ban. That is inevitable when social media has been such an integral part of their lives. "So we will introduce more highly effective age assurance measures to better support compliance, and I have asked Ofcom to share proposals on these within months. "However, I want to be clear to parents, and to members of this House, that our ban is as much about helping future generations and resetting social norms in future, as it is about young people today. "Second, people worry that a ban would push children onto riskier, less regulated sites. This is something I really take extremely seriously. "So I have had a long conversation with and written to Ofcom and the new chair to stress, once again, that enforcement of both the Online Safety Act and our new ban must be a top priority. "That they must focus rigorously on this, including riskier sites. And to ask for an urgent review of whether Ofcom has the right capabilities in place. "I have also asked them to publish a clear enforcement strategy and an annual report to Parliament on how this strategy is progressing. Third, we must prepare children for the online world, which will inevitably be part of their lives."