Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online risks faced by children with special educational needs and disabilities.

The government is focused on implementing the Online Safety Act as quickly as possible, so children benefit from its wide-ranging protections. The Act will ensure that companies take steps to protect their child users from harm on their platforms, including protecting children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofcom has consulted on its draft codes of practice for protecting children which set out the steps companies must take to protect children on their platforms under the Online Safety Act. We expect the child safety codes will be finalised and in effect by summer 2025.