Social Media: Coronavirus

(asked on 20th April 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what guidance the Government has issued to dating (a) applications and (b) websites to help ensure that people do not use those services to arrange to meet up in person in contravention of social distancing measures during the covid-19 outbreak.


Answered by
Caroline Dinenage Portrait
Caroline Dinenage
This question was answered on 27th April 2020

Over the past few weeks the Digital Tech Policy directorate within DCMS have been holding Coordinating Communications and Support teleconferences with key stakeholders.

Below is a list of key bodies that were engaged with throughout the series of calls. Dating apps and website companies are amongst their membership.

TechUK - the leading representative body for the tech sector in the UK, Tech Nation, Tech Cluster Group, Digital Catapult, CBI (digital team), Coadec

Others include: Tech Advocates, British Computer Society, Internet Association, Institute for Coding, The Software Alliance

The government has issued clear guidance to businesses and the general public on how to respond to the current situation and this guidance is kept up to date on GOV.UK. We would expect everyone to be aware of social distancing guidance and to be doing their best to follow it.

Reticulating Splines