Government under pressure to adopt amendment protecting online child safety laws in US trade talks

An amendment guaranteeing that children's online safety won't be undermined by the US trade deal must be adopted by the Government, a senior peer has urged ahead of a key vote.

Baroness Kidron, the architect of the UK’s first statutory online child protection code, warned that American tech giants should not be granted immunity from British internet regulations, something they have secured in previous US agreements with countries such as Mexico and Japan.

The warning comes after the Government was defeated earlier this month in the House of Lords on an amendment to the trade bill barring such concessions, which was introduced by Baroness Kidron. However, MPs are set to have the final say on the amendment in a vote on the trade bill on Tuesday.

In an oped for The Telegraph, Baroness Kidron, who is also chair of the children’s charity 5Rights, warned the trade bill is a ‘threat’ to existing and forthcoming safety legislation, such as the Duty of Care bill that this paper has campaigned for since 2018.

She said: “I would prefer the Government to reaffirm their commitment to children by accepting the amendment. “If they are not willing to do so, then it will be up to MP’s to reaffirm that the UK is a global leader in child protection online by voting for an amendment that takes kids off the negotiating table.”

The peer described the UK’s online child protections as ‘world leading’ and said they had already prompted tech companies to make significant improvements.

She pointed to TikTok’s decision last week to make the accounts of all under 16s private, which comes ahead of tighter child data laws coming into force in Britain later this year.

Meanwhile, pressure has been growing on ministers over the trade bill as last week two former culture secretaries, Jeremy Wright and Karen Bradley, called for an explicit guarantee from ministers that no exemptions would be granted to tech companies.

In previous treaties, Silicon Valley giants have been ensured privileges as they enjoy in the US have been carried over to other countries in trade deals, such as having limited liability for the content published on their social networks.

Since the defeat in the Lords, ministers have tried to head off a potential rebellion in the Commons. Last week, Caroline Dinenage, the digital minister, said: “The Government stands by its online harms commitment and data protection standards, and nothing in the US trade deal will affect that.”

Following Baroness Kidron’s call, a spokesman for the Government said: “This Government stands by its Online Harms commitment and data protection standards, and nothing in the US trade deal will affect that.

“The UK continues to ensure that internet users, including children, are safeguarded from emerging online harms and is committed to maintaining high standards of protection for personal data, including when it is transferred across borders. "We will never do a deal that is bad for the UK."