White House displeasure over the prospect of an under-16 social media ban will not deter the UK from cracking down on tech platforms, the British government has said.
The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian she was not concerned “in the slightest” by the Trump administration’s intervention in the debate over restrictions, after the US embassy in London posted a notice warning against a ban.
Kendall added that three-quarters of respondents to a government poll supported an under-16 ban.
Kendall said she was “very happy to read any submission anybody makes” but her priority was “British young people”. Kendall denied there was any tension between seeking investment into the UK from US AI companies and implementing regulations that affect major American tech firms.
“I think companies will continue investing in Britain,” she said.
“My focus is on what is right for British parents and British families,” Kendall added.
The government is set to announce some form of social media ban for under-16s next week, alongside other restrictions such as a possible block on conversations with strangers on gaming platforms. Limits on AI chatbot use are also under consideration.
Asked about the Trump administration’s intervention, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “We will always act in the UK’s national interest and protecting young people is no different.”
In a submission to a government consultation on online safety, the US government came out against “prescribed one-size-fits-all government restrictions” and “blunt regulatory instruments” to address online harms to children.
The notice, published by the US embassy in London, added that age-gating for 13- to 16-year-olds would not work. “Technical methods developed to distinguish minors from adults cannot simply be repurposed for younger thresholds,” it said.
Instead, the Trump administration called on the UK to give parents “robust tools” to manage their children’s privacy settings and account controls, as well as requiring platforms to offer a healthy online experience “rather than outright bans”.
The UK approach to online safety has been a source of tension between the White House and Downing Street, with the Online Safety Act (OSA) attracting criticism from across the Atlantic because of free speech concerns. JD Vance, the US vice-president, has said free speech in the UK is “in retreat”, while one senior Republican congressman described the act as the “UK’s online censorship law”.
The White House has expressed concern that the UK and EU are taking a legislative and regulatory 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.”
However, it is understood that ministers are mindful of the threat of a judicial review of the process. Plans for restrictions have been…
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