Here is my analysis of the claim:

Reasoning:

• The European Union has not stated that the verification system cannot be bypassed via VPN. In fact, EU officials have acknowledged the opposite—that VPNs can bypass the system¹².
• European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen explicitly stated at a press conference that users could circumvent the system through VPNs and suggested that preventing such workarounds might be a "next step" for future examination¹.
• When asked directly about preventing VPN bypasses, Virkkunen acknowledged that "no technology is foolproof"².
• Her office later clarified that the objective is to make safeguards "more difficult to bypass—not to prohibit VPNs" and that there is "absolutely no crackdown on VPNs"².
• An EU Parliamentary Research Service briefing noted that current age assurance measures "are relatively easy for minors to bypass" and identified VPNs as a "loophole" in existing child-protection legislation³¹.
• The claim appears to invert or misrepresent the EU's actual position, which recognizes VPNs as a viable workaround that may need to be addressed in future policy, not a technical impossibility².

Overall validity: 5%

1. European Parliament think-tank suggests VPN crackdown amid online age-verification push
2. Fact check: Is the EU about to restrict the use of VPNs? | Euronews
3. Virtual private networks and the protection of children online