Speeches by Swallow.

“You say that you cannot give us exact numbers and you cannot give us complete reassurance that the team will not be affected by workforce changes. Could you write to the Committee, please, on both of those points to confirm how large the team is here in the UK and whether it is being affected by any workforce changes?”

“I do not want to press you on this point, but it is really important. We have been referring a lot to intimate images. Given the number of young people on your platform, you will appreciate why this is particularly important. You mention using AI to search for keywords and other linguistic markers in private messaging.…”

“Ms Beauchere, can I just say that as a former teacher—”

“Ms Beauchere, can I just say that as a former teacher—”

“Andy, the Molly Rose Foundation campaigns for the removal of harmful content from social media following the tragic death of Molly Russell in 2017. How did harmful online content contribute to the circumstances surrounding Molly’s suicide?”

“There are now 16% fewer people working on that. On the point around AI, your co-founder and CEO said, “a new way of working that is faster and more efficient” is now needed—presumably referring to AI and other solutions. What assurances can you give us that the safety of children can be made faster and more efficient t…”

“I do not want to press you on this point, but it is really important. We have been referring a lot to intimate images. Given the number of young people on your platform, you will appreciate why this is particularly important. You mention using AI to search for keywords and other linguistic markers in private messaging.…”

“You say that you cannot give us exact numbers and you cannot give us complete reassurance that the team will not be affected by workforce changes. Could you write to the Committee, please, on both of those points to confirm how large the team is here in the UK and whether it is being affected by any workforce changes?”

“Your rules for using the platform presumably apply equally in both public and private parts of your app.”

“As well as speaking to hundreds of adults in my constituency and my local schools, I have tried to speak to as many young people as I can about this issue. What strikes me is that they actually raise huge concerns about social media and their own consumption of it. Although the balance of supporting a ban is probably s…”

“The reason Snap was not able to provide a witness at last week’s Committee session was that it was laying off 16% of its workforce and aiming to use AI to reduce costs by £368 million a year. What assurances can you give this Committee that Snap will not be reducing staffing in its safeguarding teams as part of those w…”

“Your rules for using the platform presumably apply equally in both public and private parts of your app.”

“You are in charge of platform safety at the global level. Could you explain the structure of Snap here in the UK and what team you have here in the UK that works in-country to provide safety on your platform, so that when, for example, families raise concerns, they are being handled in-country?”

“I will come in specifically on that point, because as a gay man who grew up at the start of the social media age, this is something I think about a lot. There are challenges around creating that vision, particularly in rural communities and less connected communities, for smaller groups of individuals, such as young pe…”

“Ms Beauchere, can I just say that as a former teacher—”

“You are referring to the digital age of consent, which is 13 at the moment. Obviously, however, it is fairly clear that social media platforms frequently allow young people to access their services, or do not sufficiently block them from doing so.”

“But you seem to be setting out to the Committee that the way you enforce those community guidelines—the way you ensure that the content being served on your platform is both within those guidelines and, more broadly, within the law—is much more strongly monitored and enforced in the public side of your app than in the …”

“There are now 16% fewer people working on that. On the point around AI, your co-founder and CEO said, “a new way of working that is faster and more efficient” is now needed—presumably referring to AI and other solutions. What assurances can you give us that the safety of children can be made faster and more efficient t…”

“Andy, the Molly Rose Foundation campaigns for the removal of harmful content from social media following the tragic death of Molly Russell in 2017. How did harmful online content contribute to the circumstances surrounding Molly’s suicide?”

“That is really helpful to hear. You have already mentioned the evidence that the Committee took from social media companies last week, where they asserted that they have done a huge amount to protect children online already and that their algorithms are designed to promote positive content and not just the emotionally …”