Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans her Department is planning to take to ensure that social media sites adhere to their 13+ rule of access.
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 platforms, to protect children from illegal content, harmful content and age-inappropriate content.
The government has announced a consultation and national conversation to gather evidence to understand how best we can build on the Act’s provisions to ensure children have positive, enriched digital lives. The consultation will seek views on a range of measures, including what the right minimum age for children to access social media is.
We will act on the findings of the consultation.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure children use AI safely.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government takes the safety of children extremely seriously. We recognise the potential risks that AI systems pose, and that is why strong protections apply to them. Under the Online Safety Act, in-scope AI services must assess the risk of harm to users from illegal content on their services and implement measures to manage and mitigate this risk. Where services are likely to be accessed by children, they will be required to take action to protect them from harmful content.
The Government has been clear that it will continue to take further action where required. We have introduced new offences in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material. Additionally, the Secretary of State has confirmed in Parliament that the Government is exploring how emerging services, such as AI chatbots, interact with the Online Safety Act and what further measures may be required.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps she is taking to ensure that parents have the skills they need to support children's safe use of AI.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Protecting children from harm online is a top priority for this government.
This year, the government will be supporting a NSPCC summit at Wilton Park on the impact of AI on childhood. This will bring together experts, technology companies, civil society and young people to explore how AI can benefit children without exposing them to harm
Media literacy is also a key part of our approach, helping children and adults develop critical thinking skills to navigate the growing presence of AI-generated content. DSIT has developed with DfE an online safety parent hub providing guidance on media literacy and online safety.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of Ofcom in helping tackle the dissemination of online conspiracy theories.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Online Safety Act will require platforms to tackle false information where it is illegal or harmful to children. The Act will also hold Category 1 platforms to account over the enforcement of their terms of service, including terms relating to conspiracy theories. As the regulator, Ofcom will ensure companies comply with these duties. Section 178 of the Act requires the Secretary of State to carry out a review of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework and to lay a report in parliament. It is important to allow time for measures to be fully implemented before carrying out any review.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of powers to remove (a) false, (b) inciting and (c) otherwise harmful content from online platforms.
Answered by Feryal Clark
The Online Safety Act gives online platforms new duties to put in place systems and processes to remove illegal content on their services. This includes illegal false communications and content which incites hatred. Platforms will also need to put in place systems and processes to protect children from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate content.
Ofcom is the regulator for this new regime, and it will have extensive enforcement powers to take action where companies do not comply with their new duties. The swift and effective implementation of the Act is a government priority, and we continue to keep online safety measures under review.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology when (a) CharcoalBlue in Southwark and (b) other firms will receive the Innovate UK R&D grants and associated tax relief and credits announced in 2020.
Answered by Andrew Griffith - Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade
Innovate UK awarded CharcolBlue £99,578 of project funding in 2020, which was paid in full in 2020. Tax relief claims are administered by HMRC in line with legislation. The tax affairs of companies and individuals are confidential.