Internet: Children

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology written question – answered at on 20 October 2023.

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Photo of Ben Everitt Ben Everitt Conservative, Milton Keynes North

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether she is taking steps to assess the effectiveness of (a) age verification tools, (b) age estimation tools and (c) other emerging technologies; and if she will take steps to include provisions in the Online Safety Bill to require the use of parental controls to help protect children online.

Photo of Paul Scully Paul Scully Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

The Online Safety Bill concluded parliamentary passage on 19 September. The Bill introduces a duty on Ofcom to produce and publish a report on in scope providers’ use of age verification and age estimation technologies. This must be done within 18 months of the first date on which the duties relating to children’s safety and to regulated provider pornographic content are in force. This report must assess how effective the use of age verification and age estimation has been for the purpose of compliance with the duties set out in the Bill.

The Online Safety Bill is technology neutral in its approach; however, in-scope services must be able to demonstrate how they are complying with the duties set out in the Bill. This includes ensuring and demonstrating that any emerging technologies they use are effective in fulfilling their duties.

While the Bill does not mandate the use of parental controls, Ofcom will set out the steps that providers can take to comply with the child safety duties in codes of practice.

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