Oral Answers to Questions

Patrick Hurley Excerpts

Wednesday 10th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Mohammad Yasin (Bedford) (Lab)]

4. What steps her Department is taking to hold technology companies accountable for the content on their platforms.

[Patrick Hurley (Southport) (Lab)]

6. What steps her Department is taking to hold technology companies accountable for the content on their platforms.

[Mr Speaker]

Minister, welcome.

--- Later in debate ---

[Kanishka Narayan]

I thank my hon. Friend for an important and timely question. It is important because I have been in the room with Ian Russell, the father of Molly Russell, and I have seen the tireless resilience with which he and the Molly Rose Foundation have campaigned to protect children online. It is a timely question because, in memory of cases like Molly Russell’s, suicide prevention must remain front and centre in our minds. That is precisely why, in the first week of this new ministerial team, the Secretary of State announced that self-harm content is now a priority offence. Ofcom has requested risk assessments from over 60 services, including smaller but high-risk platforms, and I know it is actively enforcing compliance as well.

[Patrick Hurley]

I welcome the Minister to his place.

Yesterday, I sponsored a drop-in event here in Parliament with Parent Zone to highlight the “hit pause” campaign, which aims to teach people to recognise conspiracy theories and misinformation online. Does the Minister agree that although we can make online platforms more accountable in other ways, these kinds of initiatives should be widely available to help equip people with the means to protect themselves when the tech companies fail to take responsibility for the content on their platforms?

[Kanishka Narayan]

I am grateful for this chance to put on the record that even when others have put their interests first, my hon. Friend has always put Southport above everything. In doing so, he has inspired many of us from across the House.

Media literacy includes critically evaluating information. It is a key skill in helping people to be protected from harm online, and I know that the technology companies play a crucial role. We welcome collaborative initiatives like Parent Zone’s “hit pause” programme, and I encourage all platforms to continue to expand their work to embed media literacy into their product design.