Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to Baroness Bertin's independent report entitled Creating a Safer World – the Challenge of Regulating Online Pornography, published in February 2025, whether he has assessed the potential merits of that report's recommendation to hold a problematic pornography use consultation to determine whether it should be formally classed as an addiction, including the potential impact on public health policy and clinical guidance.

The Government welcomes Baroness Bertin’s independent report, named Creating a Safer World – the Challenge of Regulating Online Pornography, as shedding light on an important issue. The finding that high levels of pornography use can lead to mental health issues in young people is deeply concerning. The nation’s mental health has deteriorated over the past decade, so it is vital we examine the range of potential risk factors for mental ill health. That is why the Government has launched an independent review into the prevalence and support for mental health conditions, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism.

On the recommendation to consider a consultation on whether problematic pornography use should be formally classified as an addiction, there are no current plans to launch a consultation on this issue. Classification of conditions, including behavioural addictions, is a matter for international diagnostic frameworks. In the United Kingdom, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides robust, evidence-based clinical guidance to support commissioners and providers in improving outcomes for people using the National Health Service, public health, and social care services. NICE guidance is informed by the best available research and international standards, including positions taken by the World Health Organisation.

There is a wide range of support available for individuals struggling with their mental health, whatever the reason. Since July 2024, the Government has recruited over 7,000 additional mental health professionals, expanded NHS talking therapy sessions for adults experiencing depression and anxiety, and accelerated the rollout of mental health support teams in schools and colleges, aiming for full national coverage by 2029.