Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of self-assessments provided by social media companies on risks of hosting suicide, self-harm and depression-related content in the context of Ofcom’s recent analysis of platform risk.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring appropriate safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties where necessary.
Suicide devastates families, which is why we have made self-harm content a priority offence under the Act, ensuring platforms must take proactive action. Ofcom has our full backing to use all its powers, including information notices, fines and, if necessary, business disruption measures to protect people online.
Ministers and officials meet Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, and we continue to monitor outcomes through a joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
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 Ofcom’s effectiveness in responding to harmful suicide, self-harm and depression-related content online.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring appropriate safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties where necessary.
Suicide devastates families, which is why we have made self-harm content a priority offence under the Act, ensuring platforms must take proactive action. Ofcom has our full backing to use all its powers, including information notices, fines and, if necessary, business disruption measures to protect people online.
Ministers and officials meet Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, and we continue to monitor outcomes through a joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions she has had with Ofcom on protecting children and young people online.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring appropriate safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties where necessary.
Suicide devastates families, which is why we have made self-harm content a priority offence under the Act, ensuring platforms must take proactive action. Ofcom has our full backing to use all its powers, including information notices, fines and, if necessary, business disruption measures to protect people online.
Ministers and officials meet Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, and we continue to monitor outcomes through a joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the adequacy of Ofcom's performance in enforcing the Online Safety Act 2023.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Ofcom is the independent regulator for online safety under the Online Safety Act 2023. Ofcom is responsible for scrutinising platforms’ risk assessments, requiring appropriate safety mitigations, and enforcing safety duties where necessary.
Suicide devastates families, which is why we have made self-harm content a priority offence under the Act, ensuring platforms must take proactive action. Ofcom has our full backing to use all its powers, including information notices, fines and, if necessary, business disruption measures to protect people online.
Ministers and officials meet Ofcom regularly to discuss online safety, and we continue to monitor outcomes through a joint evaluation programme.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the Answer of 17 October 2025 to Question 77809, whether her Department's report into the impact of smartphones and social media on children will be published before the end of 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The department is developing the evidence base around children’s online safety, to ensure our policy response is informed by the best research.
As part of this, DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research on the impact of smartphones and social media on children. This six-month study considered methods to gather causal evidence of any impact and reviewed existing research. It was led by expert researchers from UK universities. We will publish the feasibility study report in due course.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
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 .eu and .ie domain registration systems recognise Northern Ireland as an eligible territory.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The eligibility criteria are not the responsibility of the UK Government, and we have made no such steps.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what conversations her Department has had with Ofcom regarding the use of powers under section 121 of the Online Safety Act to detect child sexual abuse and exploitation in private messaging services.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
DSIT is working closely with Ofcom on issues related to the Online Safety Act, including the implementation of Technology Notice powers under section 121. These powers can and should be used to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse content shared in private messages.
As part of this work, Ofcom ran a consultation on minimum standards of accuracy for accredited technology and draft guidance for providers, which closed in March 2025. Ofcom will publish their advice to the Secretary of State by April 2026.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will make an assessment of the NSPCC's report, Tools to Combat Online Harms, published in November 2025.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
We welcome the NSPCC’s recent report and are grateful for their longstanding work to improve the evidence base on children’s experiences online. We share concern at the troubling findings and remain committed to protecting children online.
The data within the report predates the Online Safety Act’s child safety duties coming into force, which provide significant mitigations against the harms highlighted by the NSPCC. The government’s focus remains on implementing the Act’s protective measures, and we are actively monitoring its impact and effectiveness. We will continue to engage with emerging evidence to ensure that any future government interventions are proportionate and evidence based.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, if she will meet the Chief Medical Officer to discuss the potential merits of raising the digital age of consent.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In December 2024 DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children. The report will be published in due course.
The government keeps all legislation under review and engages regularly with experts – including Chief Scientific Advisors - to gather evidence of where updates are needed. The government has not proposed changes to digital age of consent or a consultation on this, at this stage.
Where there is evidence that more needs to be done to protect children online the government will not hesitate to act.
Asked by: Sorcha Eastwood (Alliance - Lagan Valley)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, when her Department plans to complete the feasibility study on the potential impact of (a) smartphone and (b) social media use on children’s wellbeing.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
In December 2024 DSIT commissioned a feasibility study into research to understand the impact of smartphones and social media on children. The report will be published in due course.
The government keeps all legislation under review and engages regularly with experts – including Chief Scientific Advisors - to gather evidence of where updates are needed. The government has not proposed changes to digital age of consent or a consultation on this, at this stage.
Where there is evidence that more needs to be done to protect children online the government will not hesitate to act.