Nigel Farage issues 'back door' digital ID warning as PM confirms social media ban

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has warned Sir Keir Starmer's social media ban will result in the introduction of digital ID.

Mr Farage responded immediately after the Prime Minister confirmed children aged under 16 would not be banned from most platforms and older children would face social media curfews.

Sir Keir, who revealed the ban will come into effect in 2027, is expected to release more information next month.

Responding to the announcement, Mr Farage said: "Whilst the social media ban is well-intentioned, it’s unlikely to work given the mass adoption of VPNs."

His warning echoed comments made by cybersecurity experts in the run-up to the announcement.

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The Reform UK leader goes on: "It will also mean the introduction of Digital ID via the back door. The real answer here is handsets for children with limited features."

• What is a VPN?

Mr Farage appears to have been referring to the need for users to verify their age before accessing certain platforms. Requiring users to supply evidence that they are over 16 will likely result in Britons needing to upload formal identification documents, such as a driving licence or passport.

Other methods set out by Ofcom include credit cards, open banking, phone company age checks, and email age estimation. However, aged assurance systems could also be used to determine whether someone is over the age of 18, with similar technology already being in place to stop children accessing pornography.

Following the introduction of the Online Safety Act last summer, a record number of Britons turned to VPNs to bypass these mandatory age checks. That led to calls to outlaw VPNs in the UK.

Installing a VPN provider on a phone, tablet, or PC lets add military-grade encryption to everything sent over an internet connection. This encrypted tunnel blocks governments, advertisers, and hackers on the same Wi-Fi network from siphoning off personal data.

During a press conference in Downing Street this morning, Sir Keir claimed his social media ban will make children safer and happier.

He said: “It will make a huge difference, it will make our children safer, it will make our children happier. It will give them more time, more security, more freedom to grow up, more opportunity.

"And that, at the end of the day, is what this Government is about.”

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However, the Prime Minister conceded that some children will find a way around the social media ban.

He added: “On this question of will some kids try to and some get around it, of course, that’s what kids do.

"They try to get around all of the laws that we put in place to protect them, teenagers drink before they should.

“But we don’t then say, in which case, let’s abandon any attempt to stop them buying alcohol. We say let’s improve the enforcement of what we are doing.”

A swathe of technology companies have blasted plans from No10 to enforce age checks on vital security applications. Executives from non-profit Mozilla have argued the approach pursued by the UK Labour Government fundamentally misses the point and would create massive new data vulnerabilities.

Despite Mr Farage's fear about digital ID, Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott defended the Tory Party's support for a social media ban for children.

"This is a fundamental conservative principle," Ms Trott told GB News.

"It's about freedom for adults while protecting children."

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch added: “It is fantastic news that the Government has finally woken up to the dangers of social media for young people. This is an important step in helping parents protect childhood for children.

“Huge credit goes to Laura Trott and my shadow cabinet for relentlessly fighting for this. Conservatives welcome this latest Labour U-turn, and will continue to work for the best implementation of the policy.”

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