PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Social Media: Harassment (6 January 2017)

We have made significant assessments of existing research and evidence on the effects of people, especially children and young people, of using social media platforms of online abusive content.

Research has shown that the increasing time children and young people spend online may impact their social and emotional well-being. Tackling the full impact of social media platforms on the lives and mental health of its users requires a cross-Government approach working collaboratively across sectors and with the online media organisations. We are therefore working with other Government Departments including the Department of Education and the Department of Culture Media and Sport, the latter of which governs the UK Council for Child and Internet Safety, which has set up a Digital Resilience Working Group.

However, we believe not enough research is available in this area which is why, following the Chief Medical Officer's recommendation, we have commissioned a new prevalence study of mental ill health in 2-19 year olds. This is the first since 2004 and the first to include cyber bullying and social media. It is due to report in 2018.