Contributions
932 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sWe have not set any targets or goals. I do think that more highly effective age verification measures will make a difference. As I said—I want to be honest—this is about today’s…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16srose—15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sIt is more complicated than it seems, but in the end, to govern is to choose. There are already strong requirements on companies under the Online Safety Act, as I said, and the…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sAs I said, I will make a further statement to the House in July, which will include issues such as raising the digital age of consent, so that we have greater protections around…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sFor the good people of Redditch and the rest of the country, yes, I will.15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sI thank my right hon. Friend for her question; she has campaigned tirelessly on this. The model in Australia that we plan to use captures user-to-user platforms that have enabling…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sAbsolutely. I have been very clear throughout this statement that the responsibility is on the social media platforms, not on parents or children, and that it is up to them to…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sToday marks a defining moment for our children, and for future generations, as we lay the foundations of a new settlement for the online world. We want to ensure that children…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sWe are doing this to give greater protections to children and greater clarity to parents and carers, and to set a new social norm for future generations. My intention is to lay…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sI am glad that the hon. Lady said at the end of her question that she will work with us to ensure that we implement this policy effectively. That is extremely important. I…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sI thank my hon. Friend for her question. As I think I have said in this House before, I will look again at the recommendations of that report. My right hon. Friend the Member for…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sI have to admit that I am not sure whether the hon. Lady is for or against the ban. [ Interruption. ] She is a Lib Dem, say Members on the Conservative Benches. She asked about…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sMy hon. Friend is a huge champion, and has pushed hard, for many of these measures and many more besides. The ban links to the device-level interventions we have talked about, but…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sThe right hon. Gentleman is right to say that we are not including things like WhatsApp in this policy. Parents have been clear that they want to be able to contact their…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sMy hon. Friend is a passionate advocate. We are absolutely clear about the fact that these so-called romantic, or companion, sexualised chatbots are wrong for children, and we…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sIt was quite cheeky to ask three questions—but, absolutely, the enforcement will be against the companies and not the parents or the children. As the right hon. Gentleman will…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sMy hon. Friend is right. We are doing what I call “Australia plus plus”: there is the ban on the providers—the platforms providing their services for children—and there is also…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sYes, I agree that the responsibility is on the platforms. They have to continue meeting their obligations under the Online Safety Act, as well as this ban. They have had chances…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sIt is really important that two things happen. First, there needs to be more support for parents and schools to do what many are already doing: preparing children for a life…15 Jun 2026 · 5d agoHANSARDSocial Media Ban for Under-16sThat is one of the issues that I thought extremely carefully about—it is one of the things that made me unsure as we were going through this. Young people are still able to go…15 Jun 2026 · 5d ago