The UK government will push ahead with an under-16 social media ban next week regardless of an unprecedented intervention by the Trump administration, Downing Street has said.
The announcement came after the American embassy in London published a notice advising against the proposal, which would affect major US tech firms. But the technology secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian she was not concerned “in the slightest” by the White House’s opposition. “My priority is British young people,” Kendall said, adding that nine out of 10 respondents to a government poll supported the ban.
“UK government vows to proceed with under-16 social media ban despite US intervention, as 90% of respondents support the move.”
The US intervention is the latest in a series of transatlantic lectures from Donald Trump’s administration. Last week, the US defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, used a D-day commemoration address in Normandy to attack European migration. “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different, dangerous ideologies,” Hegseth said, naming beaches in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria.
Back in Washington, Trump has nearly finished a 4,500-seater UFC arena on the White House lawn, obscuring the front elevation of the building. The arena will host a fight event this Sunday, with one contender, Josh Hokit, already promising another fighter he would “piss on him”.
The US submission to the UK’s online safety consultation argued against “prescriptive one-size-fits-all government restrictions” and said age-gating for 13- to 16-year-olds would not work. Instead, the Trump administration urged the UK to give parents “robust tools” to manage children’s privacy settings and account controls, rather than outright bans.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “We will always act in the UK’s national interest and protecting young people is no different.” Kendall denied any tension between seeking investment from US AI companies and regulating American tech firms, insisting companies would “continue investing in Britain”.
The government is also considering a block on conversations with strangers on gaming platforms and limits on AI chatbot use. The Online Safety Act has already drawn criticism from across the Atlantic over free speech concerns; the US vice-president, JD Vance, has said free speech in the UK is “in retreat”.