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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to safeguard people with autism from online harm.

We introduced the Online Safety Bill, which will protect people online, including those with autism, to Parliament on 17 March. Service providers in scope of the legislation will have to ensure that illegal content is removed swiftly and prevent children from harmful or inappropriate content. Major platforms will also need to set out clearly what legal content is acceptable for adult users on their services and enforce their terms and conditions consistently and transparently.

Companies must also ensure that their terms of service are clear and accessible. This will make it much easier for vulnerable adults, including people with autism, or where relevant, their carers, to understand which online services may be most appropriate for their needs.

Ofcom will be appointed as the new regulator overseeing the framework. Ofcom’s statutory duty will include a need to consider the vulnerability of individuals whose circumstances appear to put them in need of special protection. They will have enforcement powers available to use against companies which fail their duties, including fines or business disruption measures.