Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department plans to take through the new joint government working group on children’s online safety to assess the impact of the illegal sale of IPEDs and anabolic steroids via social media platforms on young people.

The UK’s Online Safety Act places duties on online platforms to tackle illegal content and protect children’s safety by mitigating risks identified. Platforms will need to put in place proactive measures to prevent the unlawful supply, or offer to supply, of controlled drugs on their services.

The government recognises that these issues must also be addressed working with our international partners. Once established, the new UK-US working group will facilitate the sharing of expertise and evidence, including from implementation of the UK’s Online Safety Act.