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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with representatives of (a) Facebook and (b) Instagram on recent reports of the harmful impact of their products on children and young people; and if she will make a statement.

Protecting children is at the heart of our plans to transform the online experience for people in the UK, and the strongest protections in the Online Safety Bill will be for children. All companies in scope of the Online Safety Bill will need to seriously consider the risks they may pose to children and take action to mitigate these risks.

The recent reports about the impact of Facebook’s products on children and young people are highly pertinent to the forthcoming online safety legislation. The impact of harmful content and behaviour on young people’s mental health has been a key consideration during the development of legislation.

Ministers and officials have met with a wide range of stakeholders, including Facebook (representing various products including Instagram) several times as the legislation has been developed.