he millions who subscribe to the content creator Simon Squibb's social media channels are usually delivered tips and hacks on how to turn their dream business idea into reality. But they were recently presented with something completely different.

In an Instagram post entitled "the government wants to control YOU", Squibb issued an urgent call to arms. He asked his followers to fight against a proposal that he said could force content from the BBC and other traditional broadcasters into their social media feeds and recommendations whether they liked it or not.

Squibb is one of many major UK content creators outraged by a proposal included in a government paper earlier in the summer that would boost content from traditional broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 in the all-powerful algorithms of YouTube and TikTok.

The idea has been pushed collectively by public service broadcasters as a way of boosting trusted material and preserving distinctly British content.

Ministers want to help them survive in a world in which audiences are ditching traditional TV for digital platforms. They prefer a voluntary deal with digital platforms, but have pointed to using legislation if necessary.

Video-sharing platforms and streaming services accounted for 74% of all video time for audiences aged 16-24 in 2024-25, and 69% for 25-34s. YouTube is the most-watched service for children aged four to 15, accounting for 28% of their video viewing.

But the measure has slowly but surely been causing anger and disbelief among content creators, who see it as shifting the goalposts to allow bigger players to stay on top. If the broadcasters go up the algorithm, they reason content creators will be pushed down.

They have been holding private meetings, putting out emergency videos and urging viewers and fellow creators to speak out before the government's consultation ends at the end of the month, featuring dramatic warnings about "the end of YouTube".

Squibb and others have even raised comparisons with authoritarian state control. "Russia pushes its channels that it believes the people should watch," he said.

"I just think it's a very bad thing to push. Trust has to be earned. If the BBC is selected as one of the trusted sources, does that also mean that Dragons' Den is going to get prominent coverage over my education and business content? You have to let the public decide."

Ben Ebbrell, whose Sorted Food channel started as a small project among friends and now has 15 million viewers tuning in each month, said the idea would undermine 16 years of investment in building an audience, a period in which the TV world ignored the growing popularity of YouTube, he said.

"At first, the TV world almost looked down upon content creators, but it's completely flipped now, where we feel like we've got the stardust.

"It was just quite a shock when they said almost that they didn't want to start playing the game, they wanted to move goalposts – or possibly even running off the pitch with a ball and a bit of a sulk … it's kind of embarrassing."

Jade Beason, a creator with 310,000 YouTube subscribers who has worked with traditional broadcasters on their digital content, said they should concentrate instead on making content that works for digital platforms – something the BBC and others are trying to do.

"I don't think it's going to get them the results that they need and I think it's going to disrupt creators in the process," she said. "To me, it just feels like you're pushing the queue, you're jumping ahead.

"[Traditional broadcasters] don't need more help for people to find them … people aren't struggling to find TV news, they know where it is. They're choosing not to watch it. That's the challenge we should be focusing on."

Grace Andrews, a content creator who helped set up the Diary of a CEO podcast, is among those coordinating the pushback against the idea and rounding up responses before the end of the month. YouTube has also been encouraging creators to respond.

"Now obviously [traditional broadcasters] are scrambling for eyeballs and instead of adapting to that world, they're trying to legislate their way back into it," she said. "Nobody who actually understands why people watch what they watch in 2026 was in the room when this document was created.

"I don't want misinformation on my feeds either, but I don't think this is the solution. Social media works because people are choosing what they see. That's the entire mechanic. The second that becomes something enforced instead of something they picked, they don't trust it any more."

A spokesperson for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: "We want to ensure that content from public service media providers such as the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and others is easily discoverable on video-sharing platforms, like YouTube, and we have urged the industry to come together and move quickly on voluntary solutions.

"We do not see this as a zero-sum game between traditional broadcasters, content creators and other video platforms. We want to create an environment where PSM [public service media] providers, high-quality news providers and content creators can all thrive."