Mozilla claims UK government is wrong about how kids use VPNs

Earlier this month, Neowin reported that several entities including Open Rights Group and Mozilla put out a joint statement criticizing the idea of putting online services, such as VPNs, behind age verification checks. Expanding on this, Mozilla has now submitted its views to the UK government about age gating VPNs and VPN-like features, continuing its opposition to the plans.

Before continuing with what Mozilla said, it is important to remember that Mozilla, while a privacy advocate, does run its own VPN service, so it isn't totally impartial.

In its submission, Mozilla says that VPNs are essential tools for people of all ages for the purposes of privacy and security. It points out that the government acknowledges this in its consultation document which said VPNs offer privacy and data protection.

The government is worried that children are using VPNs to bypass age restrictions, but Mozilla says the data on why kids use VPNs doesn’t actually fit this narrative. In a study published by Internet Matters in December, it points out that only 8% of children had used a VPN in the past 12 months, and of those 66% used them to protect their personal data. It also said that Childnet found that 38% of child VPN users reported using one to stay safe online. A May 2026 study from Internet Matter found that just 7% of children were using VPNs to circumvent age restrictions.

Rather than using VPNs, Mozilla has found kids tend to get around restrictions by entering a fake birthdate or using their parents’ log-ins or devices. It even pointed to anecdotal evidence of children fooling age assurance systems by “drawing facial hair on themselves.”

In a blog post, Mozilla said that VPNs help children to keep their data private. This is helpful because they are vulnerable to online tracking, targeted advertising, and the risks that exist due to the collection of personal data for commercial purposes without consent or transparency. It believes by keeping VPNs out of young people’s hands, it would deprive them of a tool that lets them browse the internet safely.

Instead of restricting VPNs, Mozilla recommends that the government should hold platforms to account under the Online Safety Act, encourage the use of parental controls, and invest in the public’s digital skills.