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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on malicious online content intended to trigger photosensitive epilepsy.

We are protecting epilepsy sufferers from malicious content online through the online harms regulatory framework and a review of criminal law. As part of the online harms regulatory framework, companies will need to have robust systems and processes in place to tackle illegal content on their services. This includes tackling illegal online abuse which provokes epilepsy seizures. Companies who offer high-risk, high-reach services will also need to take action with regard to legal but harmful content. The Online Safety Bill, which will give effect to the regulatory framework, will be ready this year.

The Government has sponsored a Law Commission review of harmful online communications, which is considering whether current law needs updating to account for online abuses, including abuse targeted at epilepsy sufferers. The Law Commission has consulted on provisional reforms and will issue final recommendations later this year, which we will carefully consider.