Speeches by Swallow.

“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…”

“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…”

“I declare that I am the chair of the APPG for schools, learning and assessment, for which the NEU is the secretariat.”

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

“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?”

“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?”

“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 do not want to take too much of the Committee’s time, but this is really important and quite alarming. Regardless of whether the user is under 16, under 18 or any age, your position is that the privacy trumps safety.”

“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…”

“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.”

“I thank my constituency neighbour for giving way. As he knows, there are many park homes across Bracknell Forest, which we both represent. I understand the scepticism that some have expressed about the call for evidence, but as he has identified, the Government need to put forward something that can stand up to those w…”

“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 …”

“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?”

“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.”

“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.…”

“As a member of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, I thank the Secretary of State for appearing in front of our Committee on two occasions—he has truly embraced scrutiny. The JCHR is currently carrying out legislative scrutiny of the Bill, and the remarks I offer tonight are informed by the evidence that we have recei…”

“My hon. Friend is making a powerful point. A conflict is sometimes presented between our understandable concerns about animal welfare and good science, but, as she set out, there is no such conflict. The really heartbreaking, frustrating thing is that many of the ongoing experiments that cause animals to suffer are far…”

“I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for bringing this debate to the House tonight. I have been asked to come along on behalf of my constituent, James Nichols, who lost a dear friend in just that age group to SUDEP and has been a tireless campaigner on the issue ever since. He explained to me that the really tragic thin…”

“At the start of his speech, my hon. Friend mentioned the involvement of AI in this. That issue was raised with me by the Thames Valley police roads team, which said it is now quite possible for uninsured drivers to use AI to generate a fake insurance document at the roadside, and in that way to prevent the police from …”