Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how her Department will measure whether proposed new restrictions on (a) social media and (b) additional online functionalities for under-16s are improving children's safety and wellbeing in Yeovil constituency.

Government is committed to ensuring that children have the best start in life. Preventing social media companies from offering their services to under-16s will help children have a healthier relationship with technology.

We will monitor closely how these new measures work in practice and change children’s online experiences. We will use surveys, media monitoring data, justice and health statistics to understand effects on children’s attitudes, time online, and potential harms they face. Insights from parents, young people, platforms and experts will also be critical to evaluate these policies.

We will also work with Wellcome Trust, who will be funding independent nationwide studies of the impact of the social media ban on youth mental health, with research teams working with tens of thousands of teenagers across the UK.