Social Media: Young People
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of design features on social media platforms that promote excessive use on trends in the level of addictive behaviours in teenage users.
Answered by Feryal Clark
Keeping children safe online is a priority for the government. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must bake safety into the design of their products and services will need to comply with their child safety duties by the end of July. The Act is clear that platforms’ risk assessments should consider the impact of functionalities on the risk of children encountering harm.
DSIT has launched a feasibility study to further explore the impact of smartphones and social media use on children’s wellbeing.
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