Oral Answers to Questions

Naushabah Khan Excerpts

Wednesday 18th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Liz Kendall]

In the 14 months we have been in government, our AI growth zones have done more to level up the country than Conservative Members achieved in 14 years; these zones are being built in the areas that once led the industrial revolution and will now lead the technological revolution. We are also upskilling 10 million workers with free AI skills, introducing the first dedicated national apprenticeship in practical AI and automation, and delivering our £27 million TechLocal programme to help people from all walks of life move into AI. We are determined to ensure that AI benefits people in Mansfield and every part of the country, so that no one is left behind.

[Naushabah Khan (Gillingham and Rainham) (Lab)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to engage with children and young people on social media use.

[Jacob Collier (Burton and Uttoxeter) (Lab)]

9. What steps her Department is taking to engage with children and young people on social media use.

[The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology (Liz Kendall)]

Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and that applies as much to the online world as it does to the real one. We know that families everywhere are grappling with the impact of phones and social media. That is why we have launched our national consultation, and we have had over 25,000 responses so far. We want to hear from everyone, particularly children and young people themselves, and the consultation—with a child-friendly design—will be one of the first of its kind to hear specifically from them. We also want to make sure that we particularly reach out to children with special educational needs and disabilities, and those in care, for their views.

[Naushabah Khan]

Parents in Gillingham and Rainham strongly back this Government’s efforts to keep children safe online. Does the Secretary of State agree that repealing the Online Safety Act, as Reform has pledged to do, would recklessly expose our children to online predators and leave them without the protections they deserve, and that any party serious about families must have a credible plan for children’s online safety, not simply tear one up?

[Liz Kendall]

I think the party that wants to repeal the Online Safety Act puts children at risk. Its Members do not stand for British values and they do not stand for British law; Labour Members do.