Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what research her Department has commissioned on the potential impact of apps accessible to children which utilise microtransactions on children's financial behaviour.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government is committed to ensuring apps, including games with in-app purchases are enjoyed safely and responsibly and guidance on-in game transactions is followed.
Industry-led guidance, to improve protections for players in relation to loot boxes, was published in 2023. A 12-month implementation period ended in July 2024 and DCMS commissioned independent research to assess its effectiveness which will be published in due course.
In November 2025, Ofcom, the regulator of the Online Safety Act, launched a Call for Evidence to explore whether children’s safety online would be better protected by the greater use of age assurance or other measures at app store level. It also looks at what role app stores play in children encountering content that is harmful to them by means of regulated apps which the app stores make available.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the trends of the levels of superfast broadband in (a) Orsett, (b) Bulphan, (c) Horndon-on-the-Hill and (d) South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
According to Ofcom’s Connected Nations reporting, as of July 2025 superfast coverage for Thurrock Local Authority was reported as 99% up from 97% in September 2023, and for South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency 99% up from 98%.
Network coverage data published by Ofcom does not include separate datasets for the villages of Orsett, Bulphan and Horndon-on the-Hill.
Superfast coverage in both Thurrock Local Authority and South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency now exceeds the national average of 98%, demonstrating excellent superfast coverage levels and positive progress in maximising the availability of these speeds in the area.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what discussions she has had with broadband providers on the adequacy of broadband (a) coverage and (b) speed in rural areas.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We recognise that reliable broadband underpins all aspects of modern life, including access to and modernisation of essential services.
The government, in consultation with industry set targets for broadband coverage in the UK. The government is committed to achieving 99% gigabit coverage by 2032, ensuring fast, reliable and future-proofed connectivity will be available to support consumer and business needs, including in rural communities.
Most gigabit-capable connections will be delivered commercially, so we are focusing government funds on the remaining areas of the country where commercial deployment is unlikely. Between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, 89% of premises benefiting from Building Digital UK (BDUK) subsidies were rural.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment her Department have made on the potential impact of social media usage on the levels of sporting activities undertaken by children since 2020.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Research by the online safety regulator Ofcom found that children aged 8-14 average 3 hours a day online. Sport England report that more than 4 in 5 children participated in sporting activities each week.
On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what data her Department holds on the average number of hours per day children spend on smart phones.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Research by the online safety regulator Ofcom found that children aged 8-14 average 3 hours a day online. Sport England report that more than 4 in 5 children participated in sporting activities each week.
On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department plans to introduce mandatory age verification measures to prevent children accessing social media applications.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act requires in-scope services, including social media, to protect children from illegal, harmful content and age-inappropriate content. Services likely to be accessed by children are required to use highly effective age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content such as pornography.
The government has announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is, as well as explore a ban for children under a certain age. We will also look closely at Australia and their ban on social media for under 16s.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department holds any information on the average number of times children receive smartphone notifications per day; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the campaign group Smartphone Free Childhood's finding that teenagers receive over 200 notifications per day.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom has found that 64% of all children, and 95% of 13-15 year olds, use social media.
The current evidence base on the impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing and mental health is mixed. The latest review of existing literature, published on 20 January, found that evidence remains inconclusive about causal links between social media use and mental wellbeing.
On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is, as well as whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.
The government is clear that it will act quickly and robustly to deal with concerns that are being raised.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what research her Department has commissioned on whether major social media apps have addictive features targeted at children.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom has found that 64% of all children, and 95% of 13-15 year olds, use social media.
The current evidence base on the impacts of social media on children’s wellbeing and mental health is mixed. The latest review of existing literature, published on 20 January, found that evidence remains inconclusive about causal links between social media use and mental wellbeing.
On 20 January, the government announced a short, swift consultation on further measures to keep children safe online, accompanied by a national conversation. It will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is, as well as whether there should be curfews overnight or breaks to stops excessive use or doom scrolling.
The government is clear that it will act quickly and robustly to deal with concerns that are being raised.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what estimate her Department has made of the number and proportion of children who have been exposed to content not suitable for their age due to smartphone and social media usage in 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT has regular discussions with social media companies about online safety matters, including protecting children from accessing harmful content.
Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must implement measures to protect children from illegal and harmful content. Measures include implementing age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content such as pornography. Ofcom is the regulator of the Act and can take robust enforcement action against services failing to comply with their duties. Ofcom’s analysis shows over 6000 services now use age assurance.
We expect Ofcom to publish data this year on children’s online experiences since the child safety duties came into force.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has received communications from social media companies on the effectiveness of measures aimed at preventing child users from viewing content only appropriate for adults.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT has regular discussions with social media companies about online safety matters, including protecting children from accessing harmful content.
Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope services must implement measures to protect children from illegal and harmful content. Measures include implementing age assurance to prevent children encountering the most harmful content such as pornography. Ofcom is the regulator of the Act and can take robust enforcement action against services failing to comply with their duties. Ofcom’s analysis shows over 6000 services now use age assurance.
We expect Ofcom to publish data this year on children’s online experiences since the child safety duties came into force.