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Written question asked by Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 1 November 2017, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 15 November 2017. It was answered by Lord Ashton of Hyde (Conservative) on Tuesday, 14 November 2017 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Self-harm: Children

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to reduce the number of children who self-harm as a result of over-exposure to the internet.

Answer

As part of the work on the Digital Charter announced in the Queen’s Speech, the Government is considering a range of options to counter internet harms. This includes an Internet Safety Strategy which will look at how we can support users so that everyone can access the benefits of the Internet safely. The Strategy, which was published by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) on 11 October, considers the responsibilities of companies to their users, the use of technical solutions to prevent online harms and government’s role in supporting users. The Strategy includes a public consultation on the proposed measures.

DCMS will work closely with the Department of Health and the Department for Education on their upcoming joint Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper. This will be published before the end of the year and will consider both the impact of social media on mental health and the role that technology has in affecting children and young people’s mental health.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL2828
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Children Internet Self-harm
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk