EPRS Identifies VPNs as Age Verification Loophole

The European Parliamentary Research Service has identified virtual private networks, or VPNs, as a significant loophole in expanding age verification laws across Europe and the United States, urging policymakers to address the issue in a briefing paper released this week.

The paper highlights surges in VPN usage following enforcement of age assurance requirements for adult content and social media. In the United Kingdom, one app developer reported an 1,800 percent increase in downloads in the first month after the Online Safety Act took effect last year. Proton VPN noted a 1,400 percent rise in new signups around the same time. Similar trends appeared in the U.S., with VPN demand jumping 1,150 percent in Florida and 967 percent in Utah shortly after Pornhub restricted access in those states.

Lawmakers have responded with targeted measures. Utah's Senate Bill 73, signed by Governor Spencer Cox and effective May 6, defines a user's location based on physical presence in the state, regardless of VPN use. England's Children's Commissioner has advocated restricting VPN services to adults only. In January, the UK House of Lords voted 207-159 to ban VPNs for those under 18. The EU...