Children’s Use of VPN’s
In the update last week I mentioned the use of VPN’s by children and young people. Specifically this was around the fact that I often promote the use, but also there are significant concerns around the use of VPN’s which are free. I also mentioned that there had been a lot of terrible media speculation given the fact that VPN usage had soared, presumably (according to the media) by young people trying to circumvent age verification requirements for adult web sites.
Coincidentally I saw a new survey from Childnet and Nominet which suggests that VPN usage is common amongst 8 – 17 year olds. To give a few findings from the survey:
- The number involved in the survey were 2,018 children aged 8 – 17 and 2,000 parents/carers.
- VPN use is relatively common: just over 1 in 5 children (21%) aged 8–17.
- 23% of parents think their child has used a VPN, closely matching children’s self-reports.
- Usage rises with age: approx. 15% of 8–10s, 21% of 11–14s, 27% of 15–17s) and is higher among boys (25%) than girls (18%).
- Media claims of a July spike linked to the Online.Safety Act are unfounded.
- Most common reasons for using a VPN are:
- Privacy and content access, not rule-breaking.
- Protecting privacy on public WiFi (35%)
- Watch shows and sport not available in UK (30%).
- A small minority use VPN’s to circumvent restrictions: 16% to get around parental controls, 16% to try and bypass school blocks/monitoring, 10% to view age-inappropriate content.
This could make for an interesting survey in your school to understand the numbers of those who use VPN’s and specifically why. There are both pro’s and cons, so a survey would give you an indication for the correct support and advice. Not only that, I find a significant number of students young and old who don’t know what VPN’s are, and as I mentioned last week a VPN can be a very useful tool for legitimate purposes when used correctly.
You can view the full survey from Childnet and Nominet HERE.
Children and Hacking
Recent reporting has highlighted a growing concern from the National Crime Agency (NCA) with children being referred into the NCA’s Cyber Choices programme at increasingly younger ages, with cases reported as young as seven. The NCA states that for a small but rising number of young people, the path from curiosity about tech to risky or illegal behaviour is becoming easier, faster and more normalised. This isn’t always driven by malice; it can be about status, belonging, or testing boundaries, particularly within some online communities linked to gaming.
It’s worth noting that the numbers are very low, 15 this financial year, but that’s still too many who may not understand the consequences of their actions so here’s a little checklist for you to consider:
Do we have a simple internal process for reporting suspicious account or network activity?
Are staff briefed on language and behavioural red flags?
Do we teach legal vs illegal digital behaviour explicitly in PSHE/Computing?
Do we offer a positive pathway for high-interest students?
Is our approach framed as early support, not just punishment?
The National Crime Agency has a really good explainer page about Cyber Choices HERE including information for parents, plus there’s also a really good lesson plan from the PSHE Association for Years 5 and 6 HERE
For Parents – Updated Android Controls
From the beginning of December 2025 Google is releasing new and updated parental controls for Android devices. These include:
- Set the amount of screen time that can be spent on a device each day to help establish healthy habits.
- Set downtime schedules to automatically lock the device at night to ensure restful sleep without distraction.
- Control app usage by limiting time spent on specific apps, or blocking apps entirely.
- Add more time by granting extra minutes when a time limit is reached, or to extend a scheduled break.
You can find further details about these updates on the Google blog HERE and Internet Matters have a handy Android guide for parents which you can find HERE.
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