Written questions by Smith.

Innovation and Technology, what steps the Government is taking to regulate online content.

The government is working with Ofcom to implement the Online Safety Act as quickly and effectively as possible. The Act, once implemented, will require services to tackle illegal content online and protect children from harmful content. On 16 December 2024, Ofcom reached a significant milestone by publishing the first draft illegal harms code which sets out measures that services can take to comply with their new duties.Ofcom will reach several more milestones over the coming months including publication of its: child access guidance; age assurance guidance for pornography publishers; draft guidance on protecting women and girls online; and the draft child safety code.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support families of (a) missing and (b) deceased individuals that are experiencing online abuse.

The government is committed to supporting families who have endured unimaginable losses. The Online Safety Act will help address challenges faced by bereaved parents when engaging with online services following a child’s death. The Act gives Ofcom the power to require information from regulated services about a deceased child’s online activity following a coroner’s request.In terms of horrific abusive content, under the Act social media platforms must take responsibility for users’ safety by removing illegal abusive content. These duties on platforms to tackle illegal content are expected to come into effect in Spring 2025.

Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online disinformation.

Our immediate focus is getting the Online Safety Act (OSA) implemented quickly and effectively. The OSA sets out a clear regulatory framework to tackle both mis- and disinformation where it constitutes illegal content or harmful content to children.In addition, through our work on media literacy, we are taking steps to empower users with the skills they need to engage critically with online content. Since 2022, we have provided almost £3million in funding to projects helping citizens make safer, more informed decisions online.Officials also regularly meet with major social media platforms to discuss disinformation activity, emerging risks and platforms’ responses.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking with social media companies to protect online users from anonymous accounts publishing abusive and offensive material.

The Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to take more responsibility for the safety of their users. Platforms will need to remove all illegal abusive content and protect children from harmful content, including hateful and abusive content.Where anonymous abuse does not meet the criminal threshold, adult users of the largest services (Category 1) will have the choice to filter out content from non-verified users. Those services must also offer user empowerment tools to adult users, which when applied will reduce the likelihood that they are exposed to certain legal content, including abusive content.

Innovation and Technology, what steps he is taking to help tackle online harassment and abuse on social media.

The Online Safety Act will require social media platforms to take more responsibility for the safety of their users. Platforms will need to remove all illegal abusive content and protect children from harmful content, including hateful and abusive content.Where anonymous abuse does not meet the criminal threshold, adult users of the largest services (Category 1) will have the choice to filter out content from non-verified users. Those services must also offer user empowerment tools to adult users, which when applied will reduce the likelihood that they are exposed to certain legal content, including abusive content.