Mobile Phones and Social Media: Children
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what recent discussions her Department has had with parents on (a) smart phones in schools and (b) young people on social media.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Ministers and officials regularly meet stakeholders to discuss online child protection. Ofcom, the independent regulator for online safety, also has statutory duties under the Online Safety Act to consult with users. Ofcom engaged with over 7,000 parents to understand online experiences and exposure to harms, informing the child safety codes of practice due for publication in April.
The Department for Education’s ‘Mobile Phones in Schools’ guidance is clear that schools should prohibit the use of devices throughout the school day. Discussions with parents were held by officials during the development of the guidance. Details on Ministerial meetings are published on the GOV.UK website.
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