PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(10 April 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to Question 66043, what steps her Department is taking to develop its understanding of the risks posed to young people by artificial intelligence on social media platforms; and what further measures are being considered to help tackle AI‑generated harms, including their potential impact on young people’s wellbeing.

Asked by:
Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat)

Children have the strongest protections under the Online Safety Act. Its duties apply to AI-generated content in the same way as other content, requiring regulated services to tackle illegal AI content and protect children from harmful AI content on their platforms.

In March, the Government launched a consultation and National Conversation on children’s digital wellbeing, seeking views on harms (and mitigations) linked to AI chatbots and social media. This closes on 26 May.

The government is also strengthening the criminal law, through the Crime and Policing Bill we will criminalise deliberately modifying or adapting AI models to generate child sexual abuse material, and bring unregulated AI chatbot services into scope.

Answered by:
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