Australians Flock to VPNs in the Wake of Online Age-Restriction Laws
A new set of laws in Australia requiring adult websites and app stores to age-restrict content for those under 18, and requiring AI companies to block chatbot offerings from displaying certain types of sensitive or adult content to minors, is apparently pushing many people to download virtual private network apps there.
Major adult sites have closed their virtual doors to those whose ages are not confirmed in Australia, and the changes follow a national ban on social media use by teenagers and young children. which came into force in December.
According to reports from Reuters, The Guardian and others, in response to the bans, downloads of VPN-related apps, which people can use to bypass location-based restrictions, are surging. According to Reuters, three of the 15 most downloaded free iPhone apps in the country were VPN-related as the new laws took effect on Monday.
Lawmakers in some regions, notably the United States, are well aware that people use VPNs in this way. In states like Michigan and Wisconsin, laws are proposed to limit or completely prohibit the use of the VPN. Wisconsin’s proposed law would require adult sites to block VPN traffic, while Michigan’s proposal would ban VPN use in the state entirely.
In England, a proposal is also being studied to ban the use of VPN by minors. This proposal is currently under study.
