A law requiring UK internet users to verify their age to access adult content has led to a huge surge in VPN downloads—and has experts worried about the future of free expression online.

But this creates a knock-on problem: underage users relying on unvetted free virtual private networks (VPNs) to get back on their favorite platforms. UK residents are using VPNs to change their apparent locations to other countries and circumvent the Online Safety Act.

Virtual private network (VPN) apps have become the most downloaded on Apple's App Store in the UK after sites such as PornHub, Reddit and X began requiring age verification of users on Friday. VPNs can disguise your location online - allowing you to use the internet as though you are in another country.