Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when his Department will launch its consultation on children's social media use.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The government’s consultation on the children’s use of technology and social media will be launched in the coming weeks. This will be a short, swift consultation of three months, with the government planning to respond in the summer.
The consultation will be backed by a national conversation about the impact of technology on children’s wellbeing. Ministers are already hearing the views of parents, children and civil society through nationwide events.
Asked by: Laura Trott (Conservative - Sevenoaks)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to support parents to manage children's levels of screen time.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Parents and carers play a vital role in online safety.
The UK Chief Medical Officer’s 2019 commentary on screen-based activities included advice for parents and carers on agreeing boundaries with children and young people on time spent using screens outside school and in education.
Ofcom has also released guidance for parents on how the Act’s measures will protect children online, including links to trusted resources.
Finally, many services have their own parental controls, which are useful for managing children’s screentime. To help families further navigate children’s online use, DSIT and DfE are developing a website to bring information about online safety into one place.