Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what regulations and rules are in place to prevent social media influencers from promoting dangerous electrical products online; and what assessment they have made of whether those regulations and rules are sufficient to prevent that promotion.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Online Safety Act gives platforms strong duties to prevent illegal activity on their services where the content amounts to a criminal offence, including advertising or selling illegal goods. Platforms must assess the risks of illegal content appearing on their services and put in place systems and processes to address it.
Alongside this, the Government’s Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 provides powers to tackle the sale of unsafe goods and ensure that supply chain actors have appropriate responsibilities in relation to products. We will consult on new requirements to promote consumer safety and fair business competition in early 2026.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they consider social media influencers who promote consumer products through paid, sponsored or affiliate content to be economic operators; and whether they plan to use powers under the Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 to regulate promotion by influencers of unsafe or non-compliant products.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Product Regulation and Metrology Act 2025 contains provisions that ensure the full breadth of supply chain actors can be captured appropriately by regulations. This includes social media influencers where they are carrying out activities in relation to a product. This allows Government to introduce obligations on actors that are proportionate to those actors’ level of control in supply chains.
As announced at Budget, Government will consult in early 2026 on major reforms to the product safety legislative framework to ensure that it reflects the realities of modern products and supply chains.