Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whom her Department plans to consult before introducing the code of practice for online social media platforms.

We are consulting on introducing a social media code of practice as part of the Internet Safety Strategy which was published on 11 October.

As laid out in the Digital Economy Act 2017, the code will seek to ensure that providers offer adequate online safety policies, introduce minimum standards and metrics and ensure regular review and monitoring. The code will not cover unlawful content or conduct, such as terrorist material or threats of violence, which the legal framework already addresses.

Government will continue to consult with stakeholders in the tech industry on the details of the code of practice before its introduction in 2018.