Oral Answers to Questions

James Morris Excerpts

Tuesday 8th May 2018 Commons Chamber

[Steve Brine]

As I said, NHS England has a legal duty to commission dental services and primary care dental services for the hon. Lady’s constituents. If she wants to bring a specific example from her constituency to me, I will be happy to look at it.

[James Morris (Halesowen and Rowley Regis) (Con)]

16. What steps he is taking to protect children’s mental wellbeing from the harmful effects of social media.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

We are worried about the effects of social media on children and young people, which is why we have asked the chief medical officer to undertake a systematic review of all the international literature, to help us understand what further steps to take.

[James Morris]

I recently met a group of headteachers in Halesowen, who expressed real concern about the effects of social media on the health of their pupils. Does the Secretary of State agree that peer-to-peer support among young people in the classroom and in our communities is a vital way of benefiting young people through the positive aspects of social media and combating the negative effects on their mental health?