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

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the voices and experiences (a) Molly Russell and (b) other children and families will be included in the creation of a new online regulatory system.

The experience of Molly Russell and her family highlights the importance of holding tech companies to account to keep their users, and in particular children, safe online. The Government has consulted widely, including with parents and children, to develop the new regulatory framework.

A set of statutory duties will be placed on Ofcom, requiring the regulator to conduct research and consult with users when carrying out their online safety duties. This includes the opinions and experiences of children, parents and families, which Ofcom will use when developing its codes of practice.

The Bill will also require companies to enable children, and their parents or guardians, to easily report harmful content and, where necessary for those companies to take action.