Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions the Department has had with social media companies regarding the potential impact of their platforms on child mental health.

The Department has not undertaken any recent engagement with social media companies regarding the potential impact of their platforms on child mental health.

However, the Government is taking forward wider work to understand and address risks to children in the online world. A national consultation has recently been launched to seek views on measures to improve children’s online safety across social media, gaming platforms, and artificial intelligence chatbots. We will work closely with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology on this consultation, including in relation to understanding the potential impact of social media use on children’s mental health. This forms part of the Government’s broader programme to create a safer digital environment for children and to reduce potential harms linked to these services.

Insights from this consultation will help inform future policy to better protect children’s mental health and ensure that digital platforms play their part in promoting safe and healthy online experiences.