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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide (1) support, and (2) advice, for those who experience (a) racial discrimination, (b) harassment, and (c) racial hatred, on social media platforms.

Under the Online Safety Bill, services in scope will need to have effective systems in place to minimise and remove illegal content and protect children from harmful abuse. Major platforms will also need to address content which is legal but harmful for adults. Priority categories of legal but harmful content will be set out in legislation, and are likely to include racist abuse and some types of harassment.

If platforms fail in their duties under the Bill, they will face tough enforcement action including fines of up to 10% of global annual qualifying turnover.

The draft Bill has been subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee which reported its recommendations on 14 December. We are considering the Committee’s report and will introduce the Bill as soon as possible.

The Government has also published an Online Media Literacy Strategy which supports the empowerment of users with skills and knowledge they need to make safe and informed choices online. This has an amplified focus on supporting users who are most vulnerable online, such as those who experience disproportionate amounts of online abuse.