Children: Age Verification and Virtual Private Networks - Question

Part of the debate – in the House of Lords at 11:06 am on 4 December 2025.

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Photo of Lord Vaizey of Didcot Lord Vaizey of Didcot Conservative 11:06, 4 December 2025

My Lords, this is a complex and difficult area. I often praise the work of ofcom in implementing the Online Safety Act, and everyone thinks I am applying to be the chair of Ofcom: I am not. I do however think that the suggestion of the noble Baroness, Lady Benjamin, is a very interesting one. A lot of research needs to be done, and it would be interesting to see the VPN research. There is another huge gap in researching the technology used in our schools by edtech providers, and in providing some kind of quality framework to ensure that this technology—how it collects our children’s data, and so on—is at least transparent and known about, so that requisite action can be taken in the future.

Ofcom

Ofcom is the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications and wireless communications services.

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