Oral Answers to Questions

Monica Harding Excerpts

Thursday 12th November 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ian Murray]

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend. He has recently launched a white paper on digital product safety, arguing that platforms, AI and social media should be subject to the same rigorous product safety frameworks as physical goods to protect the public without stifling innovation, and it looks at this from a hazards perspective rather than a harms perspective. It is an incredibly interesting piece of work. It is something that we are actively looking at, and platforms and social media companies should be looking at it to ensure that their products are safe by design for children.

[Monica Harding (Esher and Walton) (LD)]

Last week, analysis carried out by 17 expert organisations found that platforms are failing to protect women and girls online. This comes three years after the Online Safety Act and one year after Ofcom published its guidance. Does the Minister agree that this lack of action is unacceptable, and will the Government move quickly to strengthen the Act to better protect women and girls?

[Ian Murray]

I agree with the hon. Lady. Tackling violence against women and girls is a top priority for the Government. We wish to halve violence against women and girls by the end of this Parliament. Platforms are not doing their duty in making sure that these harms are removed. We are talking about and majoring on tackling harms for children at the moment, but we are trying to create a better online experience for everyone in society, whether they are children or not.