Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to increase awareness of the risks of social media in schools.

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

For schools in England, pupils are taught about online safety as part of statutory relationships and health education in primary schools and relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) in secondary schools. Further information can respectively be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-education-primary and here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education/relationships-and-sex-education-rse-secondary. This includes being taught about the implications of sharing private or personal data (including images) online, harmful content and contact, cyberbullying, and the risks associated with over-reliance on social media.

The department is currently reviewing the statutory RSHE curriculum for primary and secondary pupils, and is analysing consultation responses, talking to stakeholders and considering relevant evidence before setting out next steps.