Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

Baroness Kidron Excerpts

Monday 20th April 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Kidron (CB)]

My Lords, I say at the outset that I shall support the noble Baroness, Lady Barran, should she choose to test the opinion of the House, and the noble Lord, Lord Nash. What I have already said at great length is recorded in Hansard, so I will just say that the scope, the timing, the lack of scrutiny, the consultation itself and now the idea that a report to Parliament is an effective form of scrutiny are all problematic. I would prefer banning unfit companies’ access to children rather than banning children.

However, even if the amendments in front of us were perfect in all those ways, they still would not be effective. I met Ministers last week, and they freely admitted that neither their plans nor the amendments address the fundamental problem of enforcement. If we pass any one of the amendments in their current form we will simply give Ofcom more duties but no powers, and parents will still have absolutely nowhere to go when their child is in danger. Over the past six weeks, I have put forward measures on an individual redress mechanism, injunctive powers for parents when their child is at immediate risk of harm, individual liability to concentrate the minds of senior executives, and a review of Ofcom’s wider enforcement powers, including its ability effectively to issue a business disruption notice. Each is essential to making this regime work, and each has been rejected by the Government. None is included in the amendments, none is included in the consultation and none, I am told, will be in the King’s Speech.

The Prime Minister said last week that this cannot go on. I agree. It is staggering that, two years into his Government, every promise made to parents has been kicked down the road. The Government are building on top of a regime that they know does not work. In the best-case scenario, we will get regulations with more unenforceable duties that have not been scrutinised in 2027, maybe in 2028—indeed, if we do not pass the Motion tabled by the noble Lord, Lord Nash, maybe not at all.

I too heard the Secretary of State yesterday. She announced that she would extend her newly acquired powers over chatbots—put into the Bill only last Thursday—to child online harms, having rejected the very possibility that the House put forward on Thursday. This is not a serious approach. The Government should come back with an amendment that offers a proper prospect of immediate and meaningful change and proper enforcement to tackle this so that our children are safe online.