Secretary of State statement to the House of Commons on Online Safety - 20 January

Liz Kendall's statement on the government's next steps on online safety.

"With permission, Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement on the next steps this government will take to keep children safe online and give them the childhood they deserve.

Last week I said, in this House, that AI and technology have huge potential: to create jobs and growth, diagnose and treat disease, transform our public services, and so much more besides.

But this government knows we will only seize this potential if the benefits of technology are felt by all, not just a few at the top, and above all if people know they and their children are safe online.

We have already made significant progress on this crucial issue.

The Online Safety Act brought in one of the most robust systems globally with groundbreaking steps to tackle illegal content and activity and to protect children from harmful and age inappropriate content.

But we have long known there is more to do.

My first act as Secretary of State was to make online content that promotes self-harm and suicide a “priority offence” so platforms must take proactive steps to stop users seeing this material in the first place, and swiftly take it down if it appears.

We have also made intimate image abuse and cyberflashing priority offences.

And we've introduced an offence in the Crime and Policing Bill to criminalise AI models which have been optimised to create child sexual abuse material.

8 days ago, in response to the abhorrent – and illegal – spreading of sexualised deepfake images of women and children without their consent, by Grok, I said we would uphold British values and British laws.

That we would fast-track legislation making it an offence to create non-consensual intimate images and that I would make this a priority offence under the Online Safety Act too.

Since then I am pleased to say X has announced it will ban the generation of intimate images of real people, something that will be carefully monitored, but which I and the government have welcomed.

But Mr Speaker, the story does not end there.

I know up and down the country parents are grappling with how much screen time their children should have, when they should give them a phone, what on earth they are seeing online, and the impact all of this is having.

Yesterday I met with bereaved families who have suffered the most unimaginable tragedy as a result of what their children have experienced online.

One of the most devastating discussions I have ever taken part in, and I pay tribute to their courage and dignity.

I know that many parents are deeply worried about a whole range of other impacts on their children.

The consequences for their mental health, their concentration and sleep, their sense of self-esteem, ability to learn, and to explore the online world without fear.

We are determined to help parents, children and young people deal with these issues with a lasting solution that gives children the childhood they deserve, enhances their wellbeing, and prepares them for the future.

Last year the government said, in response to the Private Members Bill on protecting children online, from my Hon Friend the Member for Whitehaven and Workington – now Minister for Children and Families, that there would have to be further action on these issues.

Since I was appointed to this role I have been urgently considering this issue.

Because keeping children safe online is a top priority for the government, and me personally.

So today I can tell the House we will bring forward a swift, 3-month consultation on further measures to keep children safe online.

This will include the option of banning social media for children under 16, and raising the digital age of consent – to stop companies using children's data without their or their parents' consent.

The consultation will include a range of other options too such as whether there should be curfews overnight, breaks to stop excessive use or doom scrolling, how we ensure more rigorous enforcement of existing laws around age verification, and action to address concerns about the use of VPNs to get around important protections.

We will consult with parents, the organisations representing children and bereaved families, technology companies, and – crucially – with children and young people themselves.

Because their views and voices must be heard.

We will look closely at the experience in Australia, which as many people know has just introduced a ban on social media for under 16s.

And we will make sure that the consultation is evidence-led with input from independent experts.

Mr Speaker, we are prepared to act to deal with the serious concerns parents, teachers, doctors and others have about children's screen time use in schools but also at home.

Last week, my Hon Friend the Education Secretary announced that – for the first time ever – we are developing screen time guidance for children under 5, which will be available from April of this year.

Today I can confirm that we will also be developing evidence-based screen time guidance for parents of children aged 5 to 16.

And while we have already been clear that mobile phones have no place in our schools, the government will now take further action as part of our determination to safeguard children and support their wellbeing.

Today, we have published updated guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools and we've asked Ofsted to include this in its inspections.

Because we want there to be no doubt in the minds of school staff, parents and young people that phones should not be used in schools.

Mr Speaker, I know these issues are really important for Members of Parliament, teachers and the medical profession, many children's organisations, young people themselves, and above all parents across the country.

Many people, including in this house, I know are strongly in favour of a ban on social media for under 16s as the best and clearest way of protecting children and stopping both acute and chronic online harms.

They want action now.

But others take a different view, saying they worry about letting online platforms off the hook.

That a ban would simply push harms further underground.

And above all that it could stop children from using the positives of social media like connecting with like-minded people, finding those who love in the same way – and love the same things - and getting peer support and trusted advice.

There are clearly risks in all these different approaches, which is why I believe a proper consultation – and indeed promoting a national conversation with the public – is the right and responsible way forward.

But I want to make one thing crystal clear.

The question is not whether the government will take further action.

We will act robustly – just as we did with Grok.

The question now is about next steps. Doing this effectively, and doing it together with children and families.

That is what our consultation will deliver.

Because we are determined to ensure technology enriches children's lives, not harms them.

To give children the childhood they deserve and to prepare them for the future.

And I commend this statement to the House."