Artificial Intelligence: Safeguarding

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff Excerpts

Tuesday 4th November 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Merron (Lab)]

I certainly agree that this is the way we need to go, and discussions happen regularly with companies, as the noble Lord says. It is probably also worth saying that we have already seen some early signs of improvement in terms of protection for users from online harms, and over 6,000 services are implementing what we would regard as highly effective age assurance, which brings protection to millions of children. Of course, DSIT is monitoring and evaluating the Online Safety Act. Where evidence shows that further intervention is needed to protect children, we will not hesitate to act.

[Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (CB)]

My Lords, digital mental health technologies with clinical purposes are classified by MHRA as medical devices. Therefore, what action can the Government take, working with MHRA and Ofcom, to ensure that these chatbots actually promote suicide prevention policies and do not act as suicide promotion sites?