Telegram founder Pavel Durov has criticized UK authorities' plans to ban social media use for children under 16. In his view, such measures will not protect teenagers but will instead push them toward VPNs and more dangerous internet resources. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
In his Telegram channel, Durov stated that similar bans have already proven ineffective. He cited Russia and Iran as examples, where after restrictions on Telegram, the majority of teenagers continued using the messenger via VPN.
"When the Russian government banned Telegram, 95% of Russian teenagers continued using it. They simply switched to VPN. The same happened in Iran," Durov wrote.
According to him, responsibility for children's digital habits should primarily lie with parents. He noted that today there are parental control tools, screen time limits, and other ways to regulate gadget use.
"Instead, many parents give toddlers iPads to keep them quiet. No amount of government regulation will fix that," the Telegram founder remarked.
Durov also criticized provisions of the new British law requiring social media users to verify their age using ID, bank cards, or facial scans.
In his words, such measures raise questions about user privacy protection.
"Thousands of people in the UK are already arrested for political posts every year. Is this really about protecting children — or about identifying more people to arrest?" Durov wrote.
Earlier, the UK government announced plans to ban children under 16 from using major social networks. Restrictions will affect platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, Snapchat, and YouTube. Various verification mechanisms, including ID, bank cards, and facial recognition technology, are planned to confirm users' ages. Authorities explain the initiative as necessary to protect children from harmful content and excessive time online.