Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of Electronic Arts remaining a member of the Technical Working Group on Loot Boxes, following the ruling by the Advertising Standards Authority that it breached the CAP Code by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases in some of its products.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government is committed to ensuring that video games can be enjoyed safely and responsibly by everyone.
The Advertising Standards Authority ruled that Electronic Arts had breached the Committee of Advertising Practice guidance on two of its adverts by failing to disclose the presence of in-game purchases including random items. We understand that Electronic Arts has responded that the error has been resolved and the adverts removed, which the Advertising Standards Authority has acknowledged.
In July 2023, video games trade body Ukie published new, industry-led guidance on loot boxes to improve player protections. The guidance was developed by a DCMS-convened Technical Working Group which brought together knowledge and expertise from major games companies and platforms operating in the UK, including Electronic Arts. The group met eight times and engaged with academics, the Games Rating Authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office, and the Competition and Markets Authority.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, published on 27 April, when they will publish the cross-sport Code of Conduct outlined in that paper; and whether they will include an implementation timeline.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
All domestic sports governing bodies have agreed to four core principles underpinning the cross-sport Code of Conduct on gambling sponsorship: (i) protecting children and young people; (ii) socially responsible promotion; (iii) reinvestment in sport; and (iv) maintaining sporting integrity. These principles put in place a robust minimum standard for sponsorship across all sports. Through the code, a proportion of in-stadium advertising will be dedicated to safer gambling, and replica kits for adults will be made available without gambling logos, alongside the existing requirements for children’s replica kits.
We want sports governing bodies to have sufficient flexibility to implement these principles in a way which maximises impact for the sports and their fans. Bespoke, sport-specific codes are currently being designed by individual governing bodies, and will be published and implemented in due course. The Premier League and English Football League plan to have their codes in place by next season. DCMS will continue to work closely with sports bodies to ensure that implementation and enforcement processes are robust.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the joint report by the University of Bristol and Channel 5 New Season, More Self-Regulation, More Marketing, published in September 2023, which found that 92 per cent of social content marketing ads sent by major gambling brands in the opening weekend of the Premier League were not clearly identifiable as advertising.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. In our approach to gambling advertising, we have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach which tackles aggressive advertising that is most likely to appeal to children, while recognising that advertising is an entirely legitimate commercial practice for responsible firms.
There are robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. The Government welcomed the voluntary whistle-to-whistle ban on TV betting advertisements during live sports programmes, agreed by industry. According to figures from the Betting and Gaming Council, the ban reduced the number of views of gambling advertisements by children (aged 4–17) by 70 per cent over the duration of live sporting programmes. We also welcomed the Premier League’s announcement that it will ban gambling sponsors from the front of shirts, and are working with a wider group of sports governing bodies to introduce a code of conduct on responsible gambling sponsorship.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for strengthening current advertising codes, including the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (CAP) code 2.1.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Advertising Standards Authority is responsible for the enforcement of the advertising codes while its sister organisation, the Committee of Advertising Practice, codifies advertising standards. Both organisations operate independently of the Government and monitor developments in technology and advertising techniques to ensure that the codes are enforced and remain fit for purpose.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that companies, such as Meta, appropriately regulate advertisements on their platforms to ensure compliance prior to publication; and whether they will consider imposing a ban on platforms that repeatedly fail to do so.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Online advertising in the UK is regulated independently by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) which administers and enforces the advertising codes. While the codes apply to advertisers, the ASA works with major platforms including Meta through its Intermediary and Platform Principles pilot to help uphold the UK Non-broadcast Advertising Code.
The Government’s Online Advertising Programme is creating a new regulatory framework to tackle illegal advertising and to increase protections for children across the online advertising supply chain. We will legislate when parliamentary time allows, and will publish a second consultation on the details of the framework. In the meantime, we have created the Online Advertising Taskforce to bring industry and government together to drive non-legislative action.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent under-18s from being exposed to gambling advertisement, sponsorship and marketing on social media and online platforms.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
We have struck a balanced and evidence-led approach to gambling advertising which tackles aggressive advertising which is most likely to appeal to children, while recognising that advertising is an entirely legitimate commercial practice for responsible firms.
Last year, HM Government published a White Paper on gambling which outlined a comprehensive package of reforms to make gambling safer. This followed an exhaustive assessment of the evidence, including on gambling advertising. We concluded that further action on advertising was needed, which is why we and the Gambling Commission are introducing measures to tackle the most aggressive and harmful advertising practices by preventing bonuses being constructed and targeted in harmful ways, giving customers more control over the marketing they receive, and introducing messaging about the risks associated with gambling.
This supplements the already robust rules in place to ensure that gambling advertising is socially responsible and that it cannot be targeted at or strongly appeal to children. This includes specific licence conditions for operators, including the requirement to abide by the UK Advertising Codes, which further regulate how gambling operators advertise. The UK Advertising Codes were strengthened in 2022, with new protections for children and vulnerable adults.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their white paper High Stakes: Gambling Reform for the Digital Age, published on 27 April 2023, what steps they have taken to create a Government working group, due to commence in summer 2023, to "strengthen informational messaging including on the risks associated with gambling".
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The Policy Research Unit in the National Institute for Health and Care Research has been commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care to undertake a project using the best available evidence, theory, and collaboration with interested parties including different population groups to develop recommendations for (a) where, what, how, and for whom messaging is best used; (b) message design (content); and (c) delivery strategy (channels of communication). Further details of the project can be found on the institute’s website.
This project will report shortly and will be an invaluable contribution to ensuring that the messaging we develop is evidence-led, effectively targeted, and appropriately delivered.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish the results of the Digital Rights Review 2022.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
HM Government is undertaking a review to look at whether, in the face of technological change, the objectives of the existing regime are still being met and whether digital rights should now be included in the regime.
In considering this issue, it is important that we maintain the right balance between access for audiences and the commercial freedoms which allow rights-holders to reinvest in their sport at all levels. We will publish further details in due course.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growing market for peer-to-peer trading on platforms such as Steam, which allow for games to be uploaded to people that are located nearby, and what steps they are taking to regulate that market.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
Platforms including Steam allow users to trade games from one personal computer to another over a local area network. Default settings on Steam are for transfers only to be enabled in and out of personal computers where a user’s own account is logged in. In order to be in receipt of a game file transfer, users must opt in to share with other users.
As a trader operating an online platform which facilitates the sale and supply of gaming products to consumers, Steam has legal responsibilities under consumer law.
The transfer of data over any network needs to be done securely. HM Government is working with software vendors to set minimum standards which should be expected when delivering secure software. All technology should be built in line with the Secure by Design principles available on the National Cyber Security Centre’s website.
All online platforms likely to be accessed by children must conform with the children’s code and apply measures to protect the data rights of children. For example, children’s geolocation data should not be shared by default and children’s accounts should have the highest privacy settings enabled by default.
The Government continues to monitor this market and will consider any emerging evidence on this issue.
Asked by: Lord Foster of Bath (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor gambling within video games.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
His Majesty’s Government and the Gambling Commission continue to pay close attention to novel and emergent forms of gambling and gambling-like products, including within video games, to ensure that appropriate regulation is in place.
HM Government has welcomed new, industry-led guidance which aims to address concerns about the use of loot boxes in video games.
Measures to protect players should ensure that the purchase of loot boxes is unavailable to all children and young people unless enabled by a parent or guardian, and that all players have access to, and are aware of, spending controls and transparent information to support safe and responsible gameplay.
The Government has agreed a 12-month implementation period for the new guidance on loot boxes and has asked the industry, co-ordinated by Ukie, to report back to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on the extent to which it has been implemented.
We will continue to keep our position on possible future legislative options under review, informed by academic scrutiny of the industry-led measures. We will provide a further update in due course, following the 12-month implementation period.