Tech Secretary Liz Kendall said she is more interested in the views of British parents after it emerged the White House had hit out at proposals to ban social media for under-16s in the UK
The UK “will not be swayed” after the White House lashed out at proposals to ban social media for under-16s, a Cabinet member has said.
Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said she is more concerned about the views of British parents amid growing speculation that a ban will be announced in the coming weeks. In a response to a government consultation, the US hit out at the idea of “prescribed one-size-fits-all government restrictions”.
Ms Kendall said no decision has yet been made about bringing in an Australia-style ban, but added that parents are overwhelmingly in favour of the move. Asked on Sky News about the US government’s intervention, the Labour frontbencher said: “I’ll read that submission carefully, but I’m much more bothered about the parents who have replied to the consultation, you know, nine out of ten of whom want to see social media banned for under 16.
“And I’m really concerned to make sure we help parents.” And she stated: “I’m, you know, very happy whoever puts their submission in. But I will take the decision for British families and British children and young people, and I won’t be swayed in any way, shape or form from doing what I believe is right for children and families in this country.”
It comes after the US embassy published its response to a government consultation on protecting kids online. The US said responsibility should lie with parents rather than blanket restrictions and warned against a ban for kids.
The US response said: “We believe parents are the first and best line of defense. Government-mandated usage limits risk being either too restrictive for some families or insufficiently protective for others, whereas platform parental controls allow for customization on individual children’s needs and maturity levels.”
And it stated: “Parents should be able to control their children’s online experiences, not prescribed one-size-fits-all government restrictions.”
It sets up another potential area of disagreement between the US and the UK at a time when the so-called special relationship is increasingly strained. Asked when a decision was coming, Ms Kendall said: “We will be making an announcement really soon about how we give kids the best possible lives online, how we look at the really important issue of whether to ban social media for under 16s, but also a whole range of other things like doom scrolling, curfews overnight, what we do about things like stranger pairing on games and AI chatbots, all all the things that parents are so worried about for their kids online.
“And we will be making an announcement about what we’re going to do very, very soon.” Pressed on when this will be, the Tech Secretary said: “I’ve always said, I’ve always said it will be before the summer.”
The government has so far resisted announcing a ban, despite the House of Lords twice forcing a vote on the move. Ms Kendall and Keir Starmer have insisted that proposals will be put forward based on the findings of a consultation that closed earlier this month.
Supporters have said social media needs to restricted for kids, who are exposed to dangerous content and at risk of being preyed on by online predators. But critics argue it will be ineffective, with many children in Australia able to get around the ban and continuing to access platforms like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat.
On Monday Mr Starmer gave tech firms like Apple and Google a three-month deadline to roll out software to stop children taking, sending and sharing nude photos on their phones and tablets.
Ms Kendall said: “I think we are pretty much saying if you’re not going to do this, we’re going to legislate. We have taken a whole range of action to try and protect women and girls and young kids online through our strategy on violence against women and girls. I’ve already banned nudification apps, made cyber flashing and other things a priority offense. But there’s much more we can do.”