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In the wake of the Online Safety Act coming into force, a record number of Britons have raced to subscribe to some of the best VPN deals on the market. For those who don't know, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) were once the sole dominion of work-issued laptops and other enterprise kit, but are now commonplace with everyday users.
One VPN provider – Proton VPN – recorded an hourly spike exceeding 1,400% above its typical usage levels in the aftermath of the Online Safety Act going live across the UK. The Swiss provider leapfrogged ChatGPT to become the most-downloaded free app in the App Store, which is the only storefront for iPhone and iPad owners to install new software.
But why are these privacy-focused apps become so popular in recent days? It's all because of the concerns of adults aged over 18 with the tough new age checks imposed by the Online Safety Act.
Unless the UK Government decides to move ahead with a VPN ban, there's no way to stop the military-grade encryption enabled by these apps allowing Britons to spoof their IP address, hide their activity — and continue to access all corners of the internet in exactly the same manner as they did before the new rules on July 25.
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For a limited time, NordVPN is offering a generous 70% discount on its VPN subscriptions. That drops the effective monthly price of this award-winner to just £2.69. Since you'll need to commit to a two-year plan to unlock the maximum savings, Nord offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all subscriptions. As a bonus, Nord will treat you to an Amazon voucher that you can spend on anything you want
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ExpressVPN has cut its monthly subscription by 61%. If you sign up for a 12-month plan, you'll be gifted with a generous 4 months of access to the award-winning VPN service for free. ExpressVPN includes a number of advanced features, like a password manager, that cost extra with rival providers. ExpressVPN accepts a variety of payment types, including Apple Pay and Google Pay for speedy checkout
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From shielding everything you do online with military-grade encryption, unlocking streaming services that would otherwise be geo-blocked, or checking concert tickets and flights from another country to find the best price, there were already plenty of reasons to download a VPN on your smartphone, tablet, Fire TV Stick, or laptop.
But the introduction of strict new age checks in the UK has sent the popularity of VPNs skyrocketing, with some providers seeing a 10x increase in subscriptions.
This unprecedented demand has propelled VPNs to occupy 5 of the 10 spots for most-downloaded free apps in the Apple App Store, where iPhone and iPad owners install new software.
When you attempt to access a website that hosts restricted content, you'll need to pass the new strict age verification process, which requires uploading a selfie, credit card number, UK mobile, or other methods
|PRESS ASSOCIATION
How do VPNs enable UK users to avoid the strict age checks required by the Online Safety Act?
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) work by creating an encrypted tunnel for all of your online traffic. When you activate a VPN, any data transmitted between your device and the website or online service is routed via the provider's servers.
The encryption scrambles your data into an unreadable format, preventing third parties from monitoring your activity. It stops advertisers, broadband providers, and Governments checking what you've been up to online.
Heading online without a VPN is a little like sending a postcard, with your personal message easily visible on the back as it makes its way to the intended recipient through the Royal Mail system.
But with a VPN enabled, the postcard is placed inside multiple envelopes and packages (really stretching the metaphor here, I know...) so the message on the back is hidden from everyone as it makes its way to its final destination.
VPNs work by encrypting all of your online traffic before it's sent over the internet. This prevents your ISP, advertisers, hackers, and fraudsters from tracking your online activity, stealing your personal data, or placing restrictions on you | SURFSHARK PRESS OFFICE
Companies like Microsoft and Google have previously offered a VPN that offered this level of encryption when heading online. However, the best providers let you choose the VPN server location that your internet traffic is re-routed through, making it appear as if you've connected to the internet from that location instead of the UK.
This is what has enabled Britons to swerve the mandatory age checks.
If you choose a server based in another country, VPNs can make it appear as if you're located outside of the UK — outside of the jurisdiction of the Online Safety Act.
By picking a VPN server in another country, websites can no longer detect you're browsing from within the UK, so the mandatory age checks and other restrictions imposed by Online Safety Act vanish. It's really no different to what would happen if you jumped on a plane on holiday and tried to login to any of these services from abroad. It's comparable to using a foreign phone box rather than your own mobile – the recipient can't identify your true location or identity.
The age verification systems implemented under the Online Safety Act rely on websites detecting a UK-based IP address to trigger identity checks. For those who don't know, an IP address is the unique identifier assigned to every device when it connects to the internet.
iPhone and iPad owners have raced to download VPNs from the App Store, sending multiple providers skyrocketing up the charts in the UK ...a phenomeon that's not replicated anywhere else in the world, suggesting its all down to the introduction of the Online Safety Act
| APPLE APP STOREIt includes information on your current location, internet service provider (ISP), and network type to enable communication over the internet. It's how websites pinpoint your location on a map and show relevant information.
But when you connect through a VPN, your traffic takes a detour through the provider's computer servers located worldwide before continuing to its destination, scrambling the real location of your device.
Major platforms, including Reddit, X and adult websites, have introduced verification barriers for UK users, demanding photo identification, credit card details, or confirmation through banking and mobile providers.
By routing your connection through servers in nations without such regulations, you can access these sites as if browsing from those countries.
This circumvention has driven an extraordinary spike in VPN adoption, with provider Proton reporting an 1,800% increase in daily registrations since the new measures went live on July 25, 2025.
Reform UK's Sarah Pochin and Human Rights Campaigner Peter Tatchell go head-to-head in an intense clash over whether the Online Safety Act should be repealed
But be careful — not all VPNs are created equally.
There are risks associated when downloading an unvetted VPN, especially one that offers access to all of the encryption without charging you a subscription. If you're considering a free service without paid tiers or restrictions, you should question their revenue source. Certain VPN brands have faced regulatory complaints over the years for sharing personally identifiable data with advertisers, whilst others lack transparent privacy policies or physical addresses.
Research indicates that 38% of VPN applications on Android contained malware, whilst some providers openly acknowledge selling users' residential IP addresses as proxy servers. Yikes.
Security experts warn that malicious VPNs can harvest your browsing data, expose you to cyberattacks, or function as malware distribution channels, potentially leaving you more vulnerable than browsing without protection.
GB News has rounded-up a definitive list of the best cheap VPNs if you're unsure of where to start.
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