Technology Minister Kanishka Narayan has insisted the government's planned social media ban for under-16s is "not up for negotiation" and vowed that ministers will not bow to pressure from Big Tech.
A common concern was whether the government would stand firm in the face of opposition from major technology companies. In recent days, companies including Meta and YouTube have argued that restricting access to mainstream social media platforms could push young people towards less regulated corners of the internet.
Narayan rejected that argument.
"This is going to happen. We are not turning back. We're not slowing down. We are moving very quickly on this and we're moving very robustly on this."
He said the government had studied Australia's approach carefully and would continue strengthening protections for children online alongside the ban itself.
"We are banning social media for under 16s. But alongside that, we are going further on regulating platforms still so that for children who are still on those platforms… they face a much safer environment.”
"I don't buy this argument at all, that what we're doing on banning is somehow increasing risk."
Asked whether pressure from President Trump could affect the government's position, Narayan said children's safety would not be treated as a bargaining chip.
"The Prime Minister has made something very clear, which I feel strongly, which is children's safety is a moral principle. It is not an economic calculation to make."
“And so we have made it very clear this is a domestic public policy question. On it, the government has laid out a very clear line. We're going to stick to that line. It's not up for negotiation.”
Parents also wanted clarity on how the ban would actually work.
Narayan said social media companies would be responsible for verifying users' ages and preventing under-16s from holding accounts.
"Social media platforms have the responsibility to check age, to verify who is under and over 16."
"For anyone under 16, their social media account has to be deleted. Or if someone's trying to create a new account, it can't be created for under 16s."
Platforms that fail to comply could face fines of up to 10% of their global revenue, with further sanctions available in cases of persistent non-compliance.
Many Mumsnet users support the ban while accepting that some determined children will still find ways around it. Narayan agreed that the policy would not be a complete solution.
"This is not a silver bullet and this is not the end. It is very much part of the journey."
He pointed to new protections for older teenagers, including restrictions on features such as contact from adult strangers and live-streaming.
"We don't want a cliff edge, we want a smoother slope than that. And so we're still saying to platforms for older teenagers, you have an opportunity to design much safer experiences."
The minister also confirmed that the government is considering further action on addictive platform features.
"What we have said is this week we are limiting things like stranger contact and live streaming. But we have also said that we are looking at infinite scroll in particular for older teenagers."
"And we're going to return to that in the course of just a few weeks."
Some parents have questioned whether political uncertainty in Westminster could delay the plans. Narayan said he was confident the policy would survive any future change in leadership.
"I don't feel nervous about whether this happens or not. This is going to happen."
He pointed to recent legal changes that make the powers easier to implement and said support for the policy runs throughout the Labour Party.
Finally, asked about discussions with technology companies, Narayan said he had seen no evidence that implementation would prove impossible.
"I have not heard anything that tells me that this is not going to get over the line from a technical or implementation point of view."
While acknowledging that compliance would never be perfect, he argued that success should be judged by whether the policy changes social norms.
“We're not going to get 100% compliance. But I feel good about the fact that get[ting] good rates of compliance, it changes norms and ultimately it changes culture."
Narayan repeatedly acknowledged the role parents have played in pushing the issue up the political agenda, saying that Mumsnet and its users had played "a huge role" in securing action.