Speeches by Perteghella.

“Alistair, we have heard that children as young as five use your livestreaming facilities. We also know from the OCCIT report that these livestream files end up shared by sex offenders. What are you doing about it?”

“Laura, we also heard some serious concerns regarding Roblox. There have been accusations that it is possible for people to create games depicting the mass shootings at Sandy Hook and Columbine, and even recreating Epstein island. What are you doing about that?”

“Does anyone else want to add?”

“Professor Orben?”

“Ofcom’s data shows that 23% of under-13s in the UK have a TikTok account, 14% have an Instagram profile and 19% have a Facebook profile, despite being under the minimum age restriction. Your age assurance or verification measures are not working, are they?”

“Yes, on screentime.”

“My question for the panel is: which types of screentime do you think are particularly harmful and which particularly beneficial for children?”

“Is it possible to establish a causal link between screentime and harmful consequences for children? If so, what is the timescale?”

“The game developers say that 30% of games flagged up for concerns get accepted. How do you respond to that?”

“Thank you. Do particular groups of children have especially negative experiences when using social media and gaming websites, compared with other groups of children?”

“I try to report illegal content, and I do not understand what happens after you report it.”

“Thank you. In November 2025, the NSPCC recommended that tech companies take steps such as using metadata to identify suspicious behaviour and restricting adults’ ability to search for and communicate with child accounts. Are you—and I want to hear from Laura as well—actively implementing such processes? If so, what is …”

“Professor Orben, do you have anything to add?”

“How would you assess the effectiveness of the Government’s guidance on screentime for children up to the age of five?”

“Does anyone else on the panel want to add to that?”

“My next question is also on the guidance. The Education Policy Institute noted that the guidance did not include advice on managing screentime when children have older siblings and ensuring a consistent approach when children are with other family members. Professor Orben, what guidance should be offered on those issue…”

“The European Commission’s preliminary findings, published in October last year, said that Meta does not have sufficient mechanisms for children and parents to report illegal content. As we have heard, examples of that include sex offenders, suicide fora, violent pornography and misogyny, and so on. How are you tackling…”

“That is fine. Professor Etchells, are there any other omissions from the guidance that you would like to highlight to us?”

“Academics often focus on the mixed evidence about the impact of screentime and the lack of a causal link to harms. Why do you think there is such a disconnect between academic research, which as we have heard is going very slowly, and public opinion? Also, do you think there is a case for action now, while the research…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for North Norfolk (Steff Aquarone) for securing this timely debate. Nearly 13,000 households in Stratford-on-Avon, including mine, are off the gas grid and rely on heating oil and LPG. That is a huge number of people left e…”