Statistics and research release
What do young people really know about Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)?
A report measuring the awareness of VPN's among 11 to 17 year olds to better understand whether young people may be using these tools to access gambling-related content.
Summary
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This report details data collected on children and young people’s awareness and understanding of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs). This research was conducted by Yonder in collaboration with the Gambling Commission through the Consumer Voice Research Programme and was funded by the statutory gambling levy (opens in new tab).
Key facts
As new age assurance measures under the Online Safety Act (2023) (opens in new tab) take effect, concerns are emerging that some young people may use VPNs to bypass online restrictions, including access to gambling-related content. To explore this, Yonder surveyed 1,020 children aged 11 to 17.
The research found that awareness of VPNs is widespread, with 76 percent of young people saying they know about them. Awareness is higher among boys (81 percent) than girls (70 percent) and increases significantly with age, from 61 percent of 11 to 12 year olds to 89 percent of 16 to 17 year olds. However, only 36 percent say they understand how VPNs work, suggesting a gap between awareness and knowledge.
Those who understand VPNs generally describe them accurately, recognising their ability to disguise location, improve privacy and security, and provide access to blocked or restricted content. Awareness is most commonly driven by friends (42 percent), family (37 percent), and content on YouTube or TikTok (36 percent), highlighting the importance of peer and family influence.
Using an indirect survey method, Yonder estimated that around 13 percent of young people believe their peers have used a VPN to access online gambling platforms. This perception rises to 20 percent among those aware of VPNs and 19 percent among 16 to 17 year olds, compared with just 2 percent of 11 to 12 year olds.
Overall, the findings suggest that while VPN awareness is high, understanding is uneven. VPNs may be viewed as a way to bypass online safeguards, potentially increasing exposure to harms such as illegal gambling, particularly among older teenagers.
Details
Full publication and key information
View the full report to find out what do young people really know about Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)?
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