Protecting children online is a priority for the Secretary of State and this government. That is why we published the ‘Growing up in the Online World’ consultation, accompanied by a National Conversation on 2 March 2026.

The consultation asked for views on children’s use of social media, including questions on screen time and the impact on children’s health. The government published a progress report on the consultation on 15 June, outlining plans to restrict social media services from providing access to under 16s alongside restrictions on functionalities for wider services. Further details will be published in July.

Ofcom also published research in May 2026 of children’s usage of online services after 9 PM, including apps on phones. Ofcom’s research continues to inform the government’s next steps for online safety.

For the most advanced AI systems, our world-leading AI Security Institute is a centre of UK expertise, advancing our scientific understanding of their capabilities and the associated risks. AISI has already run a large study on backdoor data poisoning, and conducted the largest AI agent red-teaming study to date, identifying tens of thousands of vulnerabilities across sectors including finance, healthcare and customer support. AISI continues to work hand in hand with developers and with the National Cyber Security Centre to make AI protections stronger.

The government has already published a Code of Practice to set the baseline security requirements for AI models and systems, alongside working with the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) to create a global standard (EN 304 223) that builds on the Code.

This standard is relevant to all organisations and sets out requirements for developers and deployers of AI alongside data custodians. To support organisations, we have contributed to the publication of an implementation guide (TR 104 128) and we are now working to produce a conformity assessment in ETSI (TS 104 216). The government has also recently completed some pilot training workshops with various professions, including small businesses and published the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2025-2026 which examined adoption and security approaches by UK organisations to AI. The findings are being used to determine if additional guidance is needed. SMEs should consider this standard when adopting AI-enabled tools and services.

The Government is committed to promoting a competitive and innovative digital economy, which is why we prioritised the commencement of the CMA’s new powers in digital markets last year.

The CMA operates independently of Government, and decisions on the scope of its investigations rest solely with the CMA.

The CMA launched its investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem on 14 May 2026. The CMA has invited views on the details of this investigation until 4 June 2026. The proposed scope includes the integrated use of AI tools in business software to help ensure that UK businesses and public sector organisations can choose the tools that deliver the greatest productivity gains. The CMA will consider responses to its consultation and confirm its position in due course.

This Government is committed to promoting a competitive and innovative digital economy, which is why we prioritised the commencement of the CMA’s new powers in digital markets last year.

The CMA launched its Strategic Market Status designation investigation into Microsoft’s business software ecosystem on the 14 May 2026, this investigation must be completed within 9 months. An indicative timetable of this investigation is published on the CMA’s website. The CMA operates independently of Government, and decisions on which firms to investigate, and how these investigations are conducted rest solely with the CMA.

The Government engages regularly with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) on the effective operation of the UK’s competition framework, including how it supports competitive digital markets across all parts of the UK, including Wales.

While the CMA operates independently of Government in its investigations and decision making, the Government gave a clear steer for the CMA to use its new powers in digital markets collaboratively and proportionately.

In March, the CMA announced a package of actions to strengthen competition in business software and cloud services. This includes a Strategic Market Status investigation into Microsoft’s business software under the UK’s digital markets regime, alongside voluntary actions from Amazon and Microsoft in cloud services. These actions taken together will support SMEs and businesses in Wales and the rest of the UK by lowering barriers to competition, increasing choice and helping firms access digital tools on fairer terms.

In July last year, the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) cloud market investigation identified a number of potential competition concerns, including barriers that may limit customer choice and make it harder for businesses to switch or run workloads across competing cloud providers on equivalent terms. The CMA recommended that its Board consider prioritising a future Strategic Market Status (SMS) investigation into cloud services under its new digital markets powers.

The Government is committed to promoting a competitive and innovative digital economy and therefore prioritised the commencement of these powers last year, alongside a clear expectation that they be used to support competition and innovation in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, and decisions on which markets to investigate are a matter for its Board alone.

The Department engages regularly with Ofcom on implementation of the Online Safety Act, including Ofcom’s statutory report on the use of app stores by children due to be published in January 2027. The Government has ensured Ofcom is sufficiently resourced and has agreed a significant uplift to Ofcom’s online safety funding in 2025/26 in recognition of Ofcom’s increased duties as implementation of the Act progresses.

The Act allows the Secretary of State to bring app store providers into scope following Ofcom’s report. Our consultation on children’s technology use will also gather evidence on several measures, including strengthened age assurance.

The Department engages regularly with Ofcom on implementation of the Online Safety Act, including Ofcom’s statutory report on the use of app stores by children due to be published in January 2027. The Government has ensured Ofcom is sufficiently resourced and has agreed a significant uplift to Ofcom’s online safety funding in 2025/26 in recognition of Ofcom’s increased duties as implementation of the Act progresses.

The Act allows the Secretary of State to bring app store providers into scope following Ofcom’s report. Our consultation on children’s technology use will also gather evidence on several measures, including strengthened age assurance.

The Government is committed to ensuring apps, including games with in-app purchases are enjoyed safely and responsibly and guidance on-in game transactions is followed.

Industry-led guidance, to improve protections for players in relation to loot boxes, was published in 2023. A 12-month implementation period ended in July 2024 and DCMS commissioned independent research to assess its effectiveness which will be published in due course.

In November 2025, Ofcom, the regulator of the Online Safety Act, launched a Call for Evidence to explore whether children’s safety online would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance or other measures at app store level. It also looks at what role app stores play in children encountering content that is harmful to them by means of regulated apps which the app stores make available.

No one should have to go through the ordeal of seeing intimate deepfakes of themselves online. We will not allow the proliferation of these demeaning and degrading images, which are disproportionately aimed at women and girls.

The Government will legislate in the Crime and Policing Bill – which is currently in Parliament – to ban nudification tools. This new criminal offence will make it illegal for companies to supply tools and services designed to create non-consensual intimate images, targeting the problem at its source.

The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets.

These new powers are designed to boost competition and innovation in digital markets and promote fairer outcomes for both businesses and consumers. The CMA is independent of Government, and any decisions on which markets it next investigates is for its Board.

Under the Online Safety Act, Ofcom has a duty to publish a report on the role of app stores in children accessing harmful content on the apps of regulated services. The report will also assess the use and effectiveness of age assurance on app stores. This report is due by January 2027.

Following consideration of Ofcom’s report, the Secretary of State has a delegated power to apply duties on app stores, which may include greater use of age assurance.

Ofcom’s call for evidence to inform this report closed on 1 December. The government will consider next steps in due course.

The Government is committed to supporting a competitive and innovative digital economy. This is why we prioritised the commencement and implementation of the Competition and Markets Authority’s (the CMA) new powers in digital markets. The CMA is independent of Government, and any decisions on which markets it next investigates is for their Board.

No. This software is used to analyse mis and disinformation narratives from publicly available information online. It is only used to analyse narratives that pose a risk to UK national security or public safety.

The government is concerned about the proliferation of AI-enabled products and services that facilitate the creation of deepfake non-consensual intimate images.

Government legislated to ban the non-consensual creation of sexually explicit deepfake images in the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, ensuring that offenders face the appropriate punishments for this atrocious harm. The government is aware of the concerns over the tools themselves and is looking into this closely.

DSIT leads the operational response to information threats by analysing narratives and trends from publicly available information online, within its ministerially defined remit - public safety or national security risk to the UK.

This does not include the monitoring of individuals.

The Online Safety Act requires user-to-user and search services to take proportionate steps to tackle illegal content – and protect children from harmful content – on their services. The Act does not prevent adults from seeking out legal content including health content, and it is not about specific applications.

The regulator Ofcom will instead look at the systems and processes that in-scope services have in place for tackling illegal content and protecting children. There are also protections against the ‘over removal’ of content, where platforms take down content they should leave on their sites.