Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how responses to the consultation entitled Growing up in the online world: a national consultation, published on 2 March 2026, will inform policymaking on this topic; and how those responses will be considered alongside the findings of the expert panel convened as part of the same process.

Alongside the consultation, the Government launched a National Conversation to support broad and accessible engagement across the UK, including through schools, community settings and civil society organisations, ensuring a wide range of perspectives inform policymaking.

The Department is engaging clinicians, police officers and social workers through existing networks, representative bodies and cross‑government channels, including organisations such as the British Association of Social Workers, and encouraging contributions to the consultation.

These views will be considered alongside insights from an expert panel of academics, to help the department understand the information from the consultation in the context of the evolving evidence base.