The British government said Tuesday it will proceed with planned restrictions on social media for children under 16, dismissing a formal intervention from the Trump administration that warned against the move.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall told the Guardian she was not concerned “in the slightest” by the US embassy’s public opposition to the measure. “My focus is on what is right for British parents and British families,” Kendall said.
The government is expected to announce some form of social media ban for under-16s next week, following the end of a consultation on online child safety. The announcement could also include restrictions on conversations with strangers on gaming platforms and limits on children’s use of AI chatbots, according to a Downing Street spokesperson.
Kendall said three-quarters of respondents to a government poll supported an under-16 ban. She also said nine out of 10 parents responding to the online safety consultation support such a measure.
The US embassy in London last week submitted a notice to the government consultation that opposed “prescribed one-size-fits-all government restrictions” and “blunt regulatory instruments” to address online harms to children. The submission argued that “technical methods developed to distinguish minors from adults cannot simply be repurposed for younger thresholds,” referring to age-gating for 13- to 16-year-olds.
Instead, the Trump administration called on the UK to give parents “robust tools” to manage their children’s privacy settings and account controls, and to require platforms to offer a healthy online experience “rather than outright bans.”
Asked about the US intervention, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We will always act in the UK’s national interest and protecting young people is no different.”
Kendall denied there was any tension between seeking investment into the UK from US artificial intelligence companies and implementing regulations that affect major American tech firms. “I think companies will continue investing in Britain,” she said.
The UK’s approach to online safety has been a source of tension between the White House and Downing Street. US Vice President JD Vance has said free speech in the UK is “in retreat,” and one senior Republican congressman described the Online Safety Act as the “UK’s online censorship law.”
The White House has expressed concern that the UK and EU are taking a legislative path that singles out US tech firms. The US embassy notice said: “We have concerns about regulations that impose disproportionate compliance burdens on American companies or that apply to one platform but not similar services.”
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram — platforms that will be affected by the outcome of the consultation — is already seeking a judicial review of one aspect of the Online Safety Act, challenging the fees and fines regime enforced by the UK’s media regulator.
The Molly Rose Foundation, an influential voice in the UK online safety debate, has warned against an immediate ban for apps deemed to be highly risky. Instead, it said the government should set strict safety standards for social media apps, such as curbing personalized algorithms that curate content for teenagers, and should ban apps only after they have shown they do not meet those requirements.
The UK’s plan follows the implementation of an under-16 ban in Australia, where there is a blanket ban on under-16s accessing social media platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. Several other countries, including Indonesia and Greece, have also moved to restrict social media access for children in recent months.