Gambling: Education

(asked on 17th November 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on teaching the risks of gambling in schools.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 23rd November 2020

The Department for Education wants to equip young people for adult life and help them make a positive contribution to society. The new subjects of relationships, sex and health education will support all young people in managing risk and making informed decisions, including in key areas such as mental wellbeing and online behaviour. For example, under the topic of internet safety and harms, the guidance sets out that young people should be taught about the risks related to online gambling, including the accumulation of debt, how advertising and information is targeted at them, and how to be a discerning consumer of information online. The statutory guidance for the new subjects is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.

Other National Curriculum subjects, such as citizenship and computing, can also address online gambling and its dangers. This could be through developing the financial literacy of young people, and by highlighting the dangers of online gambling whilst using digital platforms (such as gambling opportunities introduced within computer games, and in-app games/purchases, for example “loot boxes”) in their e-safety teaching.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, meets regularly with cabinet colleagues to discuss the Department's agenda. This includes relevant topics covered by the new subjects. The Department has worked with other government departments, including the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, in developing the content for the new curriculum subjects which are being taught in schools from this academic year.

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