PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(28 August 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Online Safety Act 2023 in protecting adults with serious long-term health conditions from harmful health misinformation online, including misleading claims of clinical expertise or endorsement and claims that unproven treatments can prevent the need for dialysis or transplantation.

Asked by:
Dr Zubir Ahmed (Labour)

The Online Safety Act requires all in-scope companies to tackle illegal disinformation content. It also requires the largest 'category one' platforms to uphold their Terms of Service. This means that if the platform says it prohibits harmful misleading health content, they will need to address such content. These services will also need to offer user empowerment tools to further help adults protect against harmful content. Ofcom, the independent regulator, is currently consulting on these new duties which should be in force in 2027.

The Government and Ofcom’s media literacy work is also empowering users with the skills and knowledge to think critical about the information they encounter online.

Answered by:
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