Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of artificial intelligence and neuroscience research to improve understanding of the effects of digital content on children's development and learning.

On 19 January 2026, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education also launched updated Generative AI Product Safety standards, ensuring artificial intelligence (AI) tools used in education are safe by design. The new standards, shaped by feedback from over a thousand pupils, include protections for cognitive development and emotional wellbeing to ensure AI strengthens learning rather than replacing it. We published the first world-leading safety expectations in January 2025, developed alongside leading global tech firms.

The government’s national Digital Wellbeing consultation received 116,000 responses, with 90% of parents calling for an outright ban on social media for children. As a result, we are taking power away from tech companies, including those who produce so-called AI ‘romantic companion’ chatbots, designed to simulate sexual relationships or roleplay with users, who will have to enforce a minimum age of 18. Similar intimate functionalities will be restricted for under-18s on AI chatbots more widely.

The department recently worked with Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, considering the evidence from neuroscience research on the effects of digital content on children's development and learning.

The Government Social Research profession will continue to champion the safe, ethical and appropriate use of AI in research.