UK ministers lobby Trump to avert backlash against social media ban

UK ministers have launched a lobbying campaign aimed at averting a backlash from the Trump administration over a newly announced ban on social media access for children under 16, according to officials involved in the effort [1]. The restrictions, which apply to platforms including X, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, make the UK the second country to impose such sweeping limits, following Australia's similar move earlier this year [1]. British officials are aware of the risk of retaliation from President Donald Trump, who has previously threatened the UK with "a big tariff" if the government does not drop its digital services tax [1]. One person involved described a three-pronged approach to "engage the companies, pre-brief the administration and myth bust in the media" [1]. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated, "This is about protecting children in Britain, not taking on US tech" [1]. The government's plans extend beyond age limits on social media platforms. They will prevent under-16s from live-streaming themselves, ban adults from making unsolicited contact with children on gaming sites, and prohibit children under 18 from engaging with "romantic" chatbots [1]. Certain services, including YouTube Kids, Lego Play, and Google Classroom, have been specifically excluded [1]. The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, said she wanted to see a ban in place "as early as possible … first couple of months of 2027" [1]. Starmer said he had spoken with Trump on Saturday and would see him again later that day, adding, "I honestly think that across world leaders, there has always been a recognition that leaders have to take steps to protect children" [1]. By Monday evening, the US president had not commented on the plans, though his ally Elon Musk, who owns X, posted: "This censorship law is a wolf in sheep's clothing. The real goal is to enable the UK government to track everyone" [1]. The lobbying push comes as the UK government navigates a broader transatlantic relationship that has seen friction over digital services. During the first 100 days of his first presidency, Trump signed 24 executive orders and reversed his position on several issues, including labeling China as a currency manipulator and the renomination of Janet Yellen as Chair of the Federal Reserve [4]. The UK's digital services tax has been a recurring point of tension, with Trump previously linking it to potential tariff actions [1]. The ban's announcement was welcomed by the Conservatives and several campaign groups. Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered teenager Brianna Ghey, said the ban could "save so many children’s lives" [1]. However, an independent expert panel convened by the government found the impact of social media was "nuanced" and did bring some benefits to teenagers [1]. A Meta spokesperson said, "As we’ve seen in Australia, bans risk isolating teens from online communities and information, and driving them to unregulated alternatives that lack built-in protections and parental controls" [1]. YouTube, which is owned by Google and is the second-most-visited website in the world, stated that "blanket bans push kids out of such curated, supervised, beneficial experiences and towards anonymous, less-safe services" [8][1]. The media regulator, Ofcom, has been asked to produce detailed enforcement proposals by the autumn [1].