The UK’s new Online Safety Act, aimed at protecting children from harmful content online, has sparked significant controversy and immediate user responses, particularly since its enforcement ramped up on July 25.
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has openly criticized the Act, claiming it amounts to government “overreach” and threatens free speech under the guise of child protection. X’s concerns center on the law’s requirement for strict age verification, warning it could undermine civil liberties online.
Surge in VPN Use as Users Seek to Circumvent Restrictions
The legislation obliges tech companies to prevent under-18s from accessing adult content through robust age checks, threatening heavy penalties for non-compliance—up to £18 million or 10% of global revenue. In response, UK users have flocked to VPN services in unprecedented numbers. ProtonVPN reported a 1,400% spike in new UK sign-ups within hours of the Act taking effect, with overall VPN traffic across the country soaring by nearly 2,000% just days later.
Major online platforms—including Reddit, Discord, Bluesky, and X—have been forced to implement age verification for UK users. Reddit now requires either government-issued ID uploads or biometric selfie scans, while adult content sites like Pornhub are showing mandatory age checks before access.
Broad Regulation Spurs Wider Content Restrictions
The law’s scope goes beyond adult content. It also requires platforms to block or restrict access to material about self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, and other topics classified as potentially harmful to children. This wide net has led to some health forums, hobby sites, and even platforms hosting parliamentary evidence being partially or entirely blocked, as smaller communities struggle to comply with the new rules.
A petition to repeal the Act has garnered over 466,000 signatures, with critics arguing the measures are overly broad and restrictive. Many claim small online communities cannot afford to implement the required safeguards and are shutting down as a result.
Despite this opposition, the UK government remains committed to the law. Officials say they are working closely with the national regulator Ofcom to ensure effective implementation. Ofcom has warned that it will be monitoring platforms for compliance and expects to investigate services that do not meet the new requirements. The regulator has also cautioned platforms against promoting the use of VPNs to bypass the new age checks, though how that will be enforced is still unclear.
This summary captures the main developments, reactions, and ongoing issues surrounding the Online Safety Act as of late July 2025.
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