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Written question asked by Scott Arthur (Labour) on Wednesday, 17 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 22 June 2026. It was answered by Kanishka Narayan (Labour) on Friday, 26 June 2026 on behalf of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.


Internet: Children

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle harmful platform features that put children at risk online.

Answer

Protecting children online is a priority for the Secretary of State. Through our recent consultation, which included parents and children's consultations and nationally representative polls, we heard from over 116,000 people.

Following this, on 15 June the government published a progress statement announcing a ban on social media services from providing their services to under 16s as well as targeted functionality restrictions on a wider range of online services. This includes restrictions on creating livestreams and communicating with strangers. These functionalities will also be off by default for 16 and 17 year olds.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
10896
Session
2026-27
Subjects
Children Internet Protection Safety
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk