Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing measures to prevent older teenagers aged 16 and 17 from viewing content on social media that is suitable for adults only, beyond the provisions established by the Online Safety Act 2023.

The Online Safety Act requires services to protect all users from illegal content and children from content that is harmful to them. Following the ‘Growing Up in the Online World’ consultation, the Government announced additional measures for 16- and 17-year-olds, including default restrictions on persuasive features such as autoplay and personalised feeds on social media. The Government also announced default restrictions on risky features, such as communicating with strangers and livestreaming, on wider services including gaming, to support safer, age-appropriate online experiences