▲ British Prime Minister Keir Starmer
The U.S. government has expressed concern over the British government's Australian-style age restriction plan to ban children under 16 from using social media, the British daily Telegraph reported on Monday, local time.
According to the Telegraph, the U.S. sent an opinion paper to the British government late last month, warning that age restrictions on social media use would infringe upon freedom of expression.
In the opinion paper, the U.S. government criticized the Australian-style age restriction plan, stating, "Parents should bear the primary responsibility for regulating their children's social media use."
The U.S. also emphasized that "the best answer to technology-driven problems is better technology, not broad regulation," adding that "an open internet is essential to protecting freedom of expression."
Australia has blocked users under 16 from using social media (SNS) since December last year to protect youth.
The U.S. government also raised concerns that the Australian-style age limit would place an excessive regulatory compliance burden on American companies.
Previously, Sarah Rogers, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy, strongly criticized British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's warning that he would ban X (formerly Twitter) if the platform failed to restrict AI-generated pornographic images.
Under Secretary Rogers accused the British government of being hostile to freedom of expression, even comparing the UK to Russia and Iran.
Prime Minister Starmer is expected to announce a plan to ban children's use of social media in a speech next week.
The plan, dubbed the "Australia Plus" model, is expected to include a broad ban on site access, regulations on addictive features, and strict age verification procedures.
Ahead of introducing the social media age limit, Prime Minister Starmer unveiled a plan on Monday to block children from viewing or generating nude images.
The plan also aims to ban children from taking or sharing nude photos.
Under this plan, tech giants like Apple and Google must introduce technology within three months to prevent children under 18 from viewing nude images on their mobile phones and cameras.
If the companies fail to meet the deadline for implementing the technology, the British government plans to introduce legislation to impose fines, restrict the sale of mobile phones to children, and criminally prosecute executives.
Prime Minister Starmer said, "Technology must adapt to what society demands," adding, "If we are to truly harness the opportunities that technology brings, we must also be serious about protecting children from those who abuse it."
In response, experts believe that companies will not find it difficult to implement technology to block nude images.
Apple already requires iPhone and iPad users in the UK to go through age verification procedures when accessing certain services, such as apps restricted to those aged 18 and older.
Google has also introduced a feature that detects when a child attempts to open or forward a nude image, blurring the image or displaying a warning.
While the British government expects companies to strengthen and expand these features, some civil society groups worry that measures such as age restrictions could undermine privacy and anonymity.
(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.