Regulators around the globe are once again attempting to tighten their grip on internet traffic under the banner of protecting children. Recent policy discussions frequently target virtual private networks, or VPNs, as lawmakers try to close loopholes around emerging age-restriction mandates. Governments can certainly make specific websites or apps more difficult to access, but completely eradicating digital workarounds would require levels of network surveillance, identity checking, and device control that most liberal democracies simply cannot accommodate.
Jurisdictions across North America and Europe are increasingly embedding restrictions deeper into the technology stack. Australia introduced a nationwide under-16 restriction on social media platforms, while states like Utah and Texas have pursued app store-level constraints. California is moving age verification requirements directly into commercial operating systems by 2027. Because location-based restrictions are easily bypassed by masking IP addresses, lawmakers have quickly shifted their focus toward targeting VPNs and online anonymity directly.
Security experts and privacy advocates argue that these sweeping policy proposals are ultimately about enforcing mandatory identity tracking rather than child safety. Even with billions of dollars and total infrastructure control, authoritarian states like China still struggle to completely enforce bans on Tor and advanced VPN technologies. In liberal democracies with decentralized networks, anyone with minimal resources can easily spin up a personal workaround, rendering legislative attempts to ban privacy tools practically unworkable.
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