The Government Communications Service is currently finalising its 2026 annual data collection, therefore the figures provided below are from the 2025 annual data collection.

Staffing figures across the central teams are as follows:

• Number 10 Civil Service Communications Team: 44.8 FTE.

• Core Cabinet Office Communications Roles: 40.43 FTE (including 22 roles within the Press Office and Cabinet Office Digital Communications).

• Central GCS Team (Cabinet Office-based): 191.52 FTE in total, comprising 141.52 FTE communications roles and 50 FTE non-communications roles.

Information on roles specifically related to video production and social media content is not held.

Overall headcount stood at 6,120.35 FTE in 2024, compared to 5,950.54 FTE in 2025. Please note that these figures are not directly comparable due to differences in the specific organisations submitting returns across the 2024 and 2025 collection cycles.

Details of the No10 Flickr licensing arrangements are made available in the 'about' section of the page, where it says: “All content is Crown copyright and re-usable under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated”.

This makes clear that OGL v3.0 applies.

This Government is committed to addressing the challenges young men face online and the development of radicalised misogynistic networks. The Online Safety Act requires platforms to take responsibility for the safety of their users by tackling illegal content and protect children from harmful content including misogynistic content. The Government has built on the OSA and gone further in announcing its intention to restrict social media companies from providing services to under-16s.

The Government has also launched its "You Won't Know Until You Ask" campaign to help parents and carers support children in developing critical thinking skills online and resilience to misleading, polarising or harmful content.

Today’s media landscape is unrecognisable compared to even a decade ago, and the way the public receives information and communicates has changed drastically in this time.

The Government has a duty to engage with the public where they are, using channels and voices they trust to ensure all citizens can access government services, information and support - meeting audiences where they are.

The total spend is £71,460.00 since July 2024. Please note this cost includes agency and wider fees, such as expenses.

Content Creators are paid fairly for their services, time and expertise in content creation. Their work reaches people directly on the channels they use daily. Without targeted campaigns, millions of citizens would miss out on services, rights, and support to which they are entitled.

The guidelines for influencer and content creator marketing were created by the Government Communication Service and first published internally in November 2023.

Tackling violence against women and girls remains a top priority for this government.

The banning of social media companies from offering their services to under-16s will help provide additional protections for children. Alongside this, the former Secretary of State wrote to the Ofcom Chair, asking them to make robust enforcement a priority, including working with government to implement all remaining duties from the Online Safety Act and moving to swift and rigorous enforcement where it is appropriate. Under the Act, services are required to prevent children in the UK from encountering harmful content including adjusting algorithms and provide age-appropriate experiences.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided on 1 June in response to Question 3220.

The CPS does not provide specific guidance on the use of social media content as evidence in prosecutions for offences of (a) theft, (b) burglary, (c) vehicle crime and (d) dangerous driving.

However, prosecutors are required to use all available relevant and admissible evidence (including social media content) in prosecutions for all types of offence (including theft, burglary, vehicle crime and dangerous driving) in order to build the strongest possible cases.

Government will be monitoring the impact of the ban closely and conduct a full review three to five years after implementation, allowing time for the expected cultural change and long-term impacts on mental and physical health to emerge. The review will consider a range of metrics including regular reporting from children and parents on online experiences and the impact on children’s physical and mental health. Government has committed to reviewing the mobile phones in schools guidance and making any necessary revisions by September 2027.

Government will be monitoring the impact of the ban closely and conduct a full review three to five years after implementation, allowing time for the expected cultural change and long-term impacts on mental and physical health to emerge. The review will consider a range of metrics including regular reporting from children and parents on online experiences and the impact on children’s physical and mental health. Government has committed to reviewing the mobile phones in schools guidance and making any necessary revisions by September 2027.

Home Office Ministers and senior officials regularly engage with key stakeholders, including social media companies, on a range of policy and operational issues.

It would not be appropriate to comment on the specifics of discussions with individual companies concerning the preservation or provision of content to law enforcement agencies, for reasons of operational sensitivity, national security and commercial sensitivity.

The Government has been clear that it will bring forward measures to prevent under-16s from accessing social media services. We intend to use a model similar to Australia, capturing social media services whose purpose is to enable social interaction and which allow users to post material alongside algorithms.

The final scope criteria will be set out in regulations laid before Parliament.

During the passage of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act, the government committed to review The Children (Performance and Activities) (England) Regulations 2014 and will do so in the future. These regulations currently cover public performances and paid sporting and modelling. The review will include careful consideration of which activities should fall in scope and how best to ensure that children can continue to access positive opportunities, while also safeguarding their safety, wellbeing and best interests.

Following the national consultation, Growing up in the Online World, the Government is banning social media companies from offering their services to children aged under 16 years old. We will take the same approach as Australia. This will capture user-to-user platforms, whose purpose is to enable social interaction, including platforms like Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X.

The ban will reduce children’s exposure to all potentially harmful content which can be viewed via social media platforms, including online trends which promote harm to children.

The government announced in June that we would be closely following the Australian model for the scope of the social media ban. This means capturing user to user platforms whose purpose is to enable social interaction, and which allow users to post material alongside algorithms. The department is currently working through the details and the final scope criteria will be set out in the regulations that will be laid in Parliament.

Today’s media landscape is unrecognisable compared to even a decade ago, and the way the public receives information and communicates has changed drastically in this time.

The government has a duty to engage with the public where they are, using channels and voices they trust to ensure all citizens can access government services, information and support, meeting audiences where they are.

The department’s campaigns support the delivery of our priorities by recruiting people into vital education workforces and helping the public make informed choices and access relevant services and opportunities. This includes supporting teacher, further education and early years recruitment, promoting skills and training routes, and helping families access early years and childcare support.

Content creators form one part of integrated campaigns that use a range of communications channels, including paid media, partnerships, public relations activity, GOV.UK content and departmental channels.

The total spend is £794,341 since July 2024. Note that this cost includes agency and wider fees.

Content creators are paid fairly for their services, time and expertise in content creation. There work reaches people directly on the channels they use daily. Without targeted campaigns, millions of citizens would miss out on services, rights, and support to which they are entitled

The guidelines for influencer and content creator marketing were created by the Government Communication Service and first published internally in November 2023.

Government announced in June that we would ban social media companies from offering their services to under 16s. The department is currently working through the details and the final scope criteria will be set out in the regulations that will be laid in Parliament.

Any costs incurred across government as part of the Digital ID programme will be reported through the usual, departmental accounts processes.