UK readies new clash with Big Tech over plan to force YouTube and Meta to promote British news

Following its social media ban, Britain’s government is preparing regulations that would force YouTube, Meta and other platforms to give greater priority to content from the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and other British public service broadcasters.

The UK government has been picking fights with major tech companies. Its social media ban for under-16s drew sharp pushback from nearly every major platform, and its demand that Apple build access into its end-to-end encryption system started a transatlantic dispute that reached the U.S. Congress.

Why is the UK government pushing for these new rules?

The UK government is preparing new rules that would force YouTube, Meta, and other platforms to give greater coverage to British public service broadcasters’ content.

Both the government and broadcasters say they are worried that trusted news is being drowned out on digital platforms where audiences now spend most of their time.

YouTube is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind only the BBC and ahead of ITV. Viewers spent an average of 39 minutes a day on YouTube in 2024. One in five young viewers aged four to 15 went straight to YouTube as their first TV destination.

Ofcom, the UK communications regulator, has warned that “time is running out” to save public service broadcasting. The regulator is in support of the new laws that ensure that PSB content is more prominent.

In a joint statement, the BBC and other public service broadcasters said they need their content to “stand out in a crowded online world.” They warned that platforms are “driven by profit” and that most content on them is not subjected to the same safeguards and regulatory standards as the PSBs.

However, forcing platforms to elevate specific publishers’ content means asking them to restructure how their algorithms rank material, potentially at the expense of creators and publishers who generate the engagement those platforms monetize.

Under standard terms, YouTube keeps about 45% of advertising revenue generated by content on its platform. ITV’s chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall said there is no point in telling broadcasters to go on these platforms if the fees are so high it stops them from making any money.

Channel 4’s interim chief executive Jonathan Allan said the broadcaster was “very happy to work with YouTube” without being forced to by the law. He later conceded that some regulations are needed because there’s a significant difference between individual creators and large broadcasters.

The government supports attempts by broadcasters such as the BBC to move to where their audiences are on video and social platforms.

The government is also considering “on-demand” and streaming rights for events such as the World Cup, the Olympics and Wimbledon within the scope of the rules so that they cannot be sold off separately to streamers.

What other fights has the UK had with Big Tech recently?

On June 15, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a ban on 10 social media platforms for users under 16, including YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and X. The restrictions are scheduled for spring 2027.

Tech companies reacted with near-unanimous criticism. YouTube called the policy “counterproductive,” arguing that the ban might push kids towards anonymous and less safe services. Meta warned the restrictions “risk isolating teens from online communities” and driving them to unregulated alternatives.

Snapchat also said the same.

Signal’s president, Meredith Whittaker, told Bloomberg that the company would leave the UK market rather than comply with user verification requirements, calling the proposals “very dangerous mass surveillance.”

In an earlier clash with Big Tech, the UK used secret powers under the Investigatory Powers Act to seek access to Apple’s encrypted iCloud data. The government served Apple with a “Technical Capability Notice” ordering it to provide access to encrypted material.

Apple pulled its Advanced Data Protection feature from the UK in February and launched legal proceedings against the government in March. The Electronic Frontier Foundation said any backdoor built for the government “puts everyone at greater risk of hacking, identity theft, and fraud.”

All the way from the U.S. Congress, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan wrote to UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, warning that the lack of coordination was cause for concerns about the trust and effective partnership between the two countries.

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