Will the UK really ban VPNs in 2026? Downloads SURGE as MPs threaten action

Could the UK ban VPNs in 2026?

In recent weeks, the House of Lords passed a vote, which could result in a total VPN ban for under-16s. The Conservative-led amendment in the Upper Chamber was added to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill over concerns younger users could leverage a VPN to bypass age verification on adult content.

Many have called this potential action an “embarrassment”.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales took to X to condemn the action by the House of Lords. He wrote: “The UK war on VPNs is an embarrassment. For child safety, we should be teaching children about Internet safety – including why you should use a VPN to protect your privacy, block malware, etc. To keep children safe, we are legislating to prevent them being safer online? Mad.”

VPN usage has surged in the past few months, with services hitting the top of Apple’s App Store and Google Play Store. Free VPN services, despite not being recommended by security experts, have also enjoyed a healthy increase in downloads.

However, in terms of a complete VPN ban, there appears to be no plan to completely ban VPNs in the UK.

Experts believe enforcement of an outright ban would prove pretty challenging. Specialist Graeme Stewart from Tel Aviv cybersecurity firm Check Point describes potential prohibition as "like banning people from smoking in their own homes – you might not like it, but good luck enforcing it."

The only countries that currently prohibit citizens from using VPNs include North Korea, China, Russia, Iraq and the UAE – hardly the sort of company the UK usually keeps when it comes to new legislation.

Not only that, but the technical implementation of a VPN ban would require deep-packet inspection of internet traffic, similar to China's Great Firewall approach. Harry Halpin from privacy tool Nym warns this would necessitate purchasing censorship technology from authoritarian regimes.

Businesses could suffer too, as corporate VPNs are often a requirement for secure remote working.

Any prohibition risks transforming Britain into what Mr Halpin calls a "digital pariah state", potentially driving technology companies away.

Let's not forget, there are many legitimate uses for these clever applications. Companies like Microsoft and Google have previously offered a VPN that offered this level of encryption when heading online.

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We make no apology for holding platforms to account, to ensure they prevent children from bypassing safety protections. This includes blocking content that promotes VPNs and other workarounds, when they are aimed specifically at young users. More broadly, there are a range of legitimate reasons why adults might use VPNs which do not cut across children’s safety online."

What’s the best VPN to download?

If you’re looking for a VPN help you how to watch GBNews anywhere in the world or protect yourself from snooping Internet Service Providers (ISPs), then ExpressVPN would be our first choice. This VPN service has collected a vast number of awards from the likes of Techradar, CNET, and Tom's Guide, with praise for its servers dedicated to fast, reliable streaming from anywhere in the world.

We also recently published an in-depth ExpressVPN review, and we can promise you, it doesn’t disappoint.

With one of the best VPN deals around still available, monthly subscription prices start from just £1.74, and unlock ExpressVPN across up to 10x devices. Once installed on your favourite platform, you'll be able to connect to any of ExpressVPN's network of over 3,000 servers across 105 countries. The award-winner uses its own proprietary Lightway protocol for enhanced speed and reliability, ensuring smooth streaming.

The service works across all your devices – Windows 11, Windows 10, MacOS, Android, iPhone, iPad, Smart TVs, and streaming devices like Fire TV Stick. You can even use ExpressVPN's MediaStreamer feature to watch on devices that don't normally support VPNs, such as PlayStation or Xbox.

ExpressVPN is particularly well-suited for streaming, gaming and protecting your privacy as it boasts VPN server locations in 105 countries, providing access to global coverage.

It offers ultra-fast speeds on a 10-Gbps network, essential for high-quality streaming without buffering. With military-grade encryption, a strict no-logs policy, and features like split tunnelling and a kill switch, your online activity stays private.

Based in the British Virgin Islands — outside Five Eyes jurisdiction — it avoids mandatory data retention laws, which means that even if the company were collecting data (it's not), law enforcement from the UK and US would be unable to compel ExpressVPN to hand over any information about its subscribers.

ExpressVPN supports a wide range of devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, smart TVs, and routers. There's no limit on the number of ExpressVPN apps that you can download on your devices, and with a single subscription, you can connect to the VPN on 10x gadgets at once.

It also has a dedicated team that optimises the service for major streaming platforms. Round-the-clock customer support is available if you encounter any issues during race weekend.

ExpressVPN isn't the cheapest VPN. However, its 30-day money-back guarantee makes it a risk-free choice for privacy-conscious users and frequent streamers. It should also give new customers the confidence to subscribe to one of its longer contracts, which unlock the biggest discounts.

What is a VPN?

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is software that protects and anonymises everything you do online. VPNs can conceal your online activities by routing traffic through an encrypted tunnel that connects to secure servers worldwide.

The most reliable VPNs use the same encryption standards as governments in the United Kingdom and the United States, ensuring that even your Internet Service Provider (ISP) on Wi-Fi cannot record the websites you visit, the duration of your sessions on each site, or your current location. This protection extends to advertisers, trackers, and hackers, preventing them from monitoring your online behaviour.

Furthermore, personal information entered into online forms and sensitive data transmitted to and from your device will be safeguarded from hackers using strong encryption provided by a VPN.