← Back to House of Commons Debates
Online Safety
08 September 2026
Lead MP
Lisa Nandy
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
Science & Technology
Other Contributors: 35
At a Glance
Lisa Nandy raised concerns about online safety in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
Lisa Nandy, the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, made a statement on the UK government's plans to protect children online. She acknowledged the government's ambition to be the world leader in shaping an online environment that is safe, enabling, and empowering. Since June, Apple and Google have been working with the government to strengthen device-level protections for children, preventing them from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images. However, despite these measures, she noted that 91% of child sexual abuse images are self-generated, and around 9,000 child sexual abuse offences involve an online element each year. She announced that the government will introduce primary legislation to require major tech platforms to build in device-level protections for children and will explore legislation to prevent children from accessing or sharing nudity in apps. The goal is to make Britain the first country in the world to take these steps and a world leader in online safety. She emphasised that the government will not tolerate the current crisis and will take action to protect children.
Rebecca Paul
Lab
Brent Central
Question
Rebecca Paul asked for more detail on the Secretary of State’s plans for device-level protections and primary legislation, including the timeline and criteria for reassessment. She also questioned the applicability of protections to existing devices and the scale of the problem where older devices cannot support the measures. She inquired about the government's role in shaping technology for good and the commitment to social media restrictions for under-16s by early 2027.
Minister reply
Lisa Nandy responded to Rebecca Paul, acknowledging the need for more detail on the plans and confirming the government's commitment to primary legislation as soon as possible. She noted that the government will reassess the necessity of legislation if companies make sufficient progress, and clarified that the aim is for protections to apply to new devices and wherever technically possible, to existing devices through software updates. She emphasised the government's central role in shaping technology for good and confirmed the commitment to social media restrictions for under-16s by early 2027, with necessary age assurance and enforcement arrangements in place.
Salford and Eccles
Question
The MP welcomed the Minister's statement on child safety online and device-level protections. She questioned the assessment of technology companies' progress, the impact on existing devices, and the specifics of the 'shaping technology for good' initiative. She also asked for confirmation on the social media ban for under-16s and the timelines for other proposed measures such as AI chatbots, overnight curfews, and bans on doomscrolling.
Minister reply
The Minister responded by acknowledging the need for detailed planning and assured the House that legislation will be introduced without delay. She clarified that the aim is to implement protections on phones and tablets, with a possibility of extending to other forms of technology. The Minister also addressed the 'shaping technology for good' initiative, emphasising the Government's role in ensuring trusted information and empowering individuals online. She confirmed the social media ban for under-16s, reiterating the commitment to a ban by early 2027, and promised to provide a firm timetable for other proposed measures.
Liz Kendall
Lab
Leicester West
Question
Liz Kendall welcomed the Minister's announcement on device-level protections and asked for more details on the timetable for measures related to AI chatbots, overnight curfews, and bans on doomscrolling.
Minister reply
The Minister thanked Liz Kendall for her support and reiterated the Government's commitment to a comprehensive package of measures to enhance child safety online. She committed to providing a firm timetable for these measures and promised to make significant progress by the end of the year, with a more robust and comprehensive package expected by the same time next year.
Anna Sabine
LD
Frome and East Somerset
Question
Asks for reassurance that legislation will be developed regardless of the actions taken by tech companies, highlights the need for serious legislation to protect children from online abuse, and stresses the importance of privacy preservation in any legislation.
Minister reply
Confirms that legislation will be developed regardless of the actions taken by companies, and that privacy concerns will be addressed. Invites cross-party discussions on the matter, particularly regarding end-to-end encrypted services.
Jess Phillips
Lab
Birmingham, Yardley
Question
Stresses the importance of preventing children from taking images in the first place and urges the Secretary of State to work with international partners to ensure that the UK is not standing alone in this issue.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the importance of preventing children from taking images and pledges to work with international partners to keep children safe. Emphasises the role of active, empowering Governments in regulating new forms of technology.
Gosport
Question
Asks how compliance with the policy will be monitored and what sanctions will be available to address non-compliance, given Ofcom's sluggish implementation of the Online Safety Act.
Minister reply
Confirms that the Government will continue to press companies to act with urgency and moral leadership. Acknowledges the concerns about the enforcement of the Online Safety Act and pledges to work with Ofcom to step up its enforcement work.
Question
Asks for assurance that the Government will continue to press companies to act with urgency while the legislation is being developed.
Minister reply
Acknowledges the complexity of the issue and the moral and social responsibilities that companies have to citizens. Emphasises the need for companies to act with urgency and moral leadership.
Jeremy Wright
Con
Kenilworth and Southam
Question
Welcomes the intent of the Secretary of State and expresses willingness to discuss the compatibility of the measures with the responsibilities of companies under the Online Safety Act.
Minister reply
Agrees to meet to discuss the matter in more detail.
Question
Children are being exposed daily to horrific, violent content online. Ofcom’s own research shows that nearly a quarter of 11 to 17-year-olds have seen violent content in just four weeks, and nearly three quarters have seen harmful content of some kind. What more can the Government do to give Ofcom the tools to deal with this immediately?
Minister reply
The minister acknowledged the concern and stated that the government is looking at the issue of chatbots and strengthening the law to ensure better protection for children from various forms of exposure.
Question
What more can the Government do to hold tech companies to account and take down posts that put the safety of children and adults at risk through doxxing?
Minister reply
The minister mentioned initial discussions with tech companies and the government's concern about the doxxing of brave rescuers and shop workers. She expressed a willingness to work with the MP to address the issue.
Question
What ongoing conversations will the Secretary of State have with tech companies while the primary legislative clock is ticking to ensure they tackle the issue with the same speed of innovation they show in bringing new products to market?
Minister reply
The minister paid tribute to the constituent's family and mentioned ongoing discussions with tech companies. She stated that the government wants to see faster progress and will not hesitate to take action where necessary.
Question
How will the Secretary of State ensure that children using devices with older operating systems are fully protected?
Minister reply
The minister stated that the Department is discussing this issue and officials are exploring solutions. She mentioned that protections around the sharing of nude images will take effect immediately, even on older devices.
Question
Will the Secretary of State reassure the House that she will not accept any argument that it is too expensive or too difficult to stop children being able to take nude images and send them to people?
Minister reply
The minister strongly supported the question, stating there is no excuse for not taking action. She discussed the emotional impact on families and the need for continued innovation and action.
Kirsty Blackman
SNP
Aberdeen North
Question
Will the Secretary of State reassure me that she will ban children’s accounts from livestreaming regardless of whether it involves nude images, because so much of that can be held over children for the purposes of blackmail or abuse?
Minister reply
The minister thanked the MP for her long-standing campaigning on the issue and committed to discussing the matter further with officials and the MP.
Question
Will the Secretary of State meet the MP to discuss a product safety approach to address the crisis of digitally enabled child sexual exploitation?
Minister reply
The minister expressed willingness to meet the MP and acknowledged the need for a broader approach involving traditional law enforcement and regulation.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
How does the age assurance system actually work, and what would prevent a parent from allowing a child to use their phone under their identity?
Minister reply
The minister explained that the age assurance system requires a form of ID to prove age, which most apps and sites currently do not require. She mentioned that the government will need to revisit safeguards to ensure they are effective.
Question
The MP commends the minister for her decision to leave Elon Musk’s X platform and asks if she will make the case to her colleagues that there are many ways to reach constituents through social media without adhering to Elon Musk’s rules.
Minister reply
The minister responds that the decision is personal, and Members of the House should be free to decide how and where they communicate, but she did not want to encourage more people to a site that she believes has become more of a force for harm than for good.
Question
The MP welcomes the Secretary of State’s announcements on AI companions and asks for clarity on how a ban on sexualised AI chatbots for under-18s will be defined and enforced.
Minister reply
The minister acknowledges the complexity and live nature of the issue, stating that recent developments have shown limitations in previous approaches. She expresses a commitment to strengthening their approach to address the major gap in child safety protection systems, and offers to further discuss the issue with the MP.
Question
The MP calls for technology companies to turn on existing software to protect children in the next update and for legislation within the year if companies do not act quickly.
Minister reply
The minister commits to moving as fast as possible, stating that complexity cannot be an excuse for inaction when children are being harmed now, and supports the MP’s call for technology companies to act now.
Question
The MP asks if the announcement covers in-game adverts or if this is a loophole that the minister can commit to looking at.
Minister reply
The minister commits to looking at the issue and addresses the concern about highly sexualised images in children’s games, stating that she will take this away to make sure that appropriate action is taken to protect children from such images.
Question
The MP suggests that legislation should be introduced straightaway without asking technology companies to act responsibly due to their moral bankruptcy.
Minister reply
The minister supports the MP’s suggestion, emphasising the need for the online world to have the same level of expectation and protections as the offline world.
Question
The MP raises concerns about the number of abuse perpetrators who are themselves children and asks about the minister’s work with colleagues to support schools and families.
Minister reply
The minister acknowledges the importance of the issue and the work done to address it, including the national youth strategy and support for trusted adults to help young people navigate the online space.
Question
The MP welcomes the minister’s statement and the work done to take back control of children’s safety online, and asks about tackling misinformation and disinformation.
Minister reply
The minister agrees to meet the MP to discuss the importance of tackling misinformation and disinformation and highlights the need to help young people find accurate information and distinguish between truth and fiction.
Question
The MP discusses the ineffective complaints procedures provided by social media apps and asks for steps the Government can take to ensure social media providers follow their complaints processes.
Minister reply
The minister expresses willingness to pick up the example given by the MP with social media companies directly.
Question
The MP echoes concerns about misinformation and disinformation by hostile states and asks what the Government will do to address it.
Minister reply
The minister discusses measures being taken, including the development of gov.uk, the local news strategy, and the BBC charter review to address misinformation and disinformation.
Question
The MP urges the minister to look at hardware-level protection for children’s online safety and asks about pursuing robust enforcement against companies like Meta.
Minister reply
The minister acknowledges the importance of enforcement and the need to take it extremely seriously, stating that any legislation introduced must be effectively enforced.
Luke Charters
Con
Filton and Bradley Stoke
Question
As the youngest parent in this place, I warmly welcome the Secretary of State’s leadership and that of our Prime Minister. Will she look at AI-enabled smart glasses, which could be filming our children, and the content from them that is being put online? Will she also look at loopholes in VPN usage—in particular, with app-based browsers—as she looks to progress the measures?
Minister reply
I have already discussed issues around VPNs with officials; device-level controls are one part of the answer but not the whole answer, so my hon. Friend is right to raise the issue. I will take up the issue of smart glasses as well.
Peter Swallow
Con
Bracknell
Question
When I speak to parents in Bracknell Forest, they tell me of their anxiety about what their young people might be exposed to online and their feeling of powerlessness—they do not feel that they have the tools to do anything about it. Today’s statement makes it clear that this Government believe that the power to act lies squarely with the tech companies, and that they should get on and fix their platforms so that our young people can be safe.
Minister reply
I support my hon. Friend in saying that it is the responsibility of all of us to keep children safe, and we would like to see the tech companies do more—and more quickly. Today’s statement also shows that the Government can do things to improve people’s lives. We are not powerless; we were elected to do that, and we intend to fulfil that promise.
Amanda Martin
Lab
Portsmouth North
Question
I welcome the announcement from the Secretary of State, but the focus is too often on what young people are doing, rather than on the adults who are grooming and coercing them. Can the Secretary of State say more about the work that her Department and others are doing with tech companies to identify and disrupt adults who are targeting children and pressurising them to put images online?
Minister reply
I saw my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Yardley (Jess Phillips) nodding vigorously at that point. My hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth North (Amanda Martin) is absolutely right, and I am working closely with the Home Secretary to ensure that we come at the issue from every angle and hold to account all who are responsible.
Kevin McKenna
Lab
East Renfrewshire
Question
I strongly welcome the statement from the Secretary of State. It is long overdue and builds on great work by her predecessors. Unfortunately, we do not have full sovereign capability in developing our own tech in this country, and we are vulnerable to politics in other countries. Will the Secretary of State tell me what she is doing to work with people across Government to ensure that if there is pushback against these changes, particularly in the United States, and challenges from the tech companies, Britain will get what it wants—not what some people in certain other countries want?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend raises two linked and important points. First, we are the Government of the United Kingdom and are responsible to the people of this country. Although we have close friends and allies all over the world, we reserve the right to take our own view on technology. Particularly when it comes to keeping children safe, that is non-negotiable. Secondly, we have to be on the front foot in developing new forms of technology. I believe that tech, the online space and AI should be—and can be—a force for good in the world, but in order to help create that and be leaders in the field, we have to be on the front foot in developing forms of technology and having sovereign capability. I can reassure my hon. Friend on that point because I discussed it, this very morning, with the Business Secretary and the AI Minister.
Darren Paffey
Con
Great Yarmouth
Question
I thank and commend the Secretary of State for the Government’s world-leading action. Does she agree that at some point in the future, we are going to look back and wonder how we let the tech companies get away with hijacking our children’s attention and safety for so long? She talks about closing loopholes, but will she say more about what is happening across Government and with the regulators—as well as internationally—to ensure that those who produce the devices and what goes on them all play their part in keeping our children safe?
Minister reply
I think we have been living through a revolution in the way we interact with one another and with Government, compared with when I was growing up. I am going to sound incredibly old now, but I think I was 17 before I got my first email address, and Google was not a thing at that point—it was Ask Jeeves, if anyone remembers that. We have been living through this revolution for quite some time, and it is about time that Governments caught up. We have to ensure that we are on the front foot, helping to shape the society we want to have, not just allowing that to be relegated to the private sphere. My hon. Friend talks about the global consensus, and I think there is a global consensus forming on this. We are seeing more and more that states are prepared to step up and be on the front foot and taking action. We are working closely with our friends and allies around the world, trying to move in step so that this can be as effective as possible.
Ben Coleman
Con
Bournemouth East
Question
This is a really tremendous statement—I welcome it, and congratulate and thank my right hon. Friend for it. We have touched on the tech companies. Sadly, we can expect them to push back, and they may get support on the other side of the Atlantic. I encourage my right hon. Friend to work closely with our friends in the European Union who have similar aims to protect their children to give ourselves as much clout and oomph in the negotiations ahead.
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As a rule, I think this Government have taken that approach; we want to have a much closer relationship with our closest friends and neighbours across Europe and to repair some of the needless damage that was done to that relationship under previous Governments. When it comes to tech and what happens online, it is absolutely essential that we work with other like-minded countries in order to move in step, so I can certainly reassure him on that point.
Harrow East
Question
I welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. Unfortunately, young people and their parents in my constituency do not believe that the big tech companies are taking their responsibilities seriously. I speak to young people in schools across Harlow who are concerned that it is very easy to flout the age verification rules. In much the same way as it is a shop’s responsibility to ensure that no one under the age of 18 buys alcohol, can we make it very clear to the big tech companies that it is their responsibility to ensure that underage people cannot use their software and sites?
Minister reply
I thank my hon. Friend for that point. I think the views of his constituents in Harlow are probably mirrored in every constituency across the country. I want to be really clear about our message today to parents who have been struggling with this matter for so long: you are not on your own. We believe that we are as responsible for keeping their children safe as they are, and we are stepping up to take the necessary action, whether that is through support, advice and training for parents and children, or through the reforms and measures that I have outlined today—we are the first country in the world to do so, and I strongly suspect that we will not be the last.
Tom Hayes
Con
South West Hertfordshire
Question
Democracies face a choice between allowing the online world to be a wild west or stepping in, so I really welcome this Government’s decision to regulate the tech titans that have been putting profit before protection. I have families in my constituency who have been deeply affected by traumas online that have repeated what has been experienced in the real world, and they would really welcome the chance to meet the Secretary of State at the Department. Would she meet them with me so that they can share their experiences and help to shape the legislation as it goes forward?
Minister reply
Yes, of course; it would be a privilege to meet them. I have had the honour of getting to know some of these families—both bereaved families and families of survivors whose children have been harmed because of the lack of action in this space—and I gave them a commitment that I will do everything in my power to stop another family having to experience what they have gone through. I would be very happy to meet my hon. Friend and his constituents.
Shadow Comment
Rebecca Paul
Shadow Comment
Rebecca Paul welcomed the government's focus on device-level protections to prevent children from taking or sharing nude images but asked for more detail on the plans. She sought clarity on the timeline for introducing primary legislation and the criteria for reassessing whether legislation is necessary. She also questioned the applicability of protections to existing devices and the scale of the problem where older devices cannot support the measures. She noted the government's role in shaping technology for good and the need for further exploration. She confirmed the government's commitment to restrictions on social media for under-16s by early 2027 and requested confirmation on age assurance and enforcement arrangements.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About House of Commons Debates
House of Commons debates take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons. These debates cover a wide range of topics including government policy, legislation, and current affairs. MPs from all parties can participate, question ministers, and hold the government accountable for its decisions.