Asked by: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what procedures are in place to respond to and safeguard any children making serious disclosures within the Growing Up in the Online World consultation.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
It is vital that any serious disclosures to the Growing Up in the Online World consultation are treated with care.
The provider of the children's survey has trained staff which routinely screen responses for safeguarding risks, including references to abuse, harm, or immediate danger. Where the provider of the children’s consultation receives an identifiable response from a child at risk of significant harm, this is referred to the relevant authority, including emergency services or local children’s social services if required, in accordance with statutory safeguarding responsibilities.
For anonymous disclosures, the incident is securely recorded and escalated to the organisation’s safeguarding lead. In line with NSPCC guidance, the safeguarding lead reviews the circumstances and may contact the NSPCC Helpline.
Asked by: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are seeking ethical approval for their pilot study on social media bans, time limits and curfews.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DSIT sought academic advice in designing the pilot study. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Dame Angela McLean, convened a roundtable of senior academics, alongside Chief Scientific Advisers from FCDO, DfE and College of Policing.
This advice included consideration of sample size. The pilots, by design, form a social research, qualitative study which is thorough, but not statistically representative. With 300 interviews with teenagers, and their parents, from varied perspectives, we aim to gather first-hand insights into their experience of social media.
DSIT worked closely with our delivery partner, Savanta, to design the study to established ethical standards, including securing informed consent from participants, the right of withdrawal, appropriate safeguarding arrangements, and data protection and confidentiality measures throughout.
Asked by: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have sought academic advice on their pilot study on social media bans, time limits and curfews, including on the number of participants needed for meaningful results.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
DSIT sought academic advice in designing the pilot study. The Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Dame Angela McLean, convened a roundtable of senior academics, alongside Chief Scientific Advisers from FCDO, DfE and College of Policing.
This advice included consideration of sample size. The pilots, by design, form a social research, qualitative study which is thorough, but not statistically representative. With 300 interviews with teenagers, and their parents, from varied perspectives, we aim to gather first-hand insights into their experience of social media.
DSIT worked closely with our delivery partner, Savanta, to design the study to established ethical standards, including securing informed consent from participants, the right of withdrawal, appropriate safeguarding arrangements, and data protection and confidentiality measures throughout.
Asked by: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what methodology they will employ in the consultation on children's social media use, both in terms of design and dissemination.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We have launched a consultation exploring children’s use of technology. It seeks to understand how children can better be protected online, and how wellbeing can improve and enrich children’s lives. It will gather views on proposals including banning social media for under‑16s and restricting ‘addictive’ online features
The consultation is accessible for all – we hope to hear from parents, children’s organisations, bereaved families and industry - and from children themselves. We have also developed a child and parent-friendly version of the consultation and are progressing a national conversation where we will engage with these groups.
Asked by: Baroness Cass (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government how evidence from national and public bodies, including the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, teaching unions and the security services, will be balanced against submissions from technology companies and members of the public in the consultation on children's social media use.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The government has announced a consultation and national conversation to gather evidence to understand how best we can build on the Online Safety Act’s provisions to ensure children have positive, enriched digital lives.
We will consult parents, the organisations representing children and bereaved parents, technology companies and, crucially, children and young people themselves, because their views and voices must be heard. We will make sure that the consultation is evidence-led, with input from independent experts.