Independent report

Children’s circumvention behaviours online

Research into how children aged 11 to 17 experience age assurance online, why some get around age checks, and how and why they use VPNs.

• From: Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
• Published: 14 July 2026

Documents

Children’s circumvention behaviours online

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Children’s circumvention behaviours online

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Details

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) commissioned BMG Research to build an evidence base on how children aged 11 to 17 experience age assurance online.

The research looked at:

• how children experience age checks online, and how effective they think they are
• the most common ways children get around age checks, and why
• what motivates children to use virtual private networks (VPNs), and how they access them

The findings are intended to help DSIT and Ofcom understand children’s experiences of age assurance, circumvention and VPN use, and to inform future policy development.

The findings and any recommendations do not represent government views or policy.

Published 14 July 2026