Thank you to all those who have contacted me about the Safer Phones Bill.

I welcome the Government’s commitment to relentlessly pursue a reduction in children’s exposure to harmful content. I believe that safety must be baked in from the start.

I support the introduction of the five new strategic priorities under the Online Safety Act. The Act ensures that children have the strongest protections.

I understand that these new strategic priorities – which focus on safety by design, transparency and accountability, agile regulation, inclusivity and resilience and innovation – will help ensure that protections for children are implemented effectively.

We must keep pace with technology as it evolves to create a safer internet, especially for children.

I am therefore pleased that the Department for Science, Industry and Technology (DSIT) have launched research on the effects of smartphone and social media use on children, to boost the evidence base around online harms. It is important to understand the relationship between children’s wellbeing and smartphone use so that the best course of action can be taken.

I am also encouraged to see that DSIT have committed to working with online safety campaigners and charities to reach this goal.

I believe that classrooms are not an appropriate place for children to be accessing mobile phones. I support the guidance from the Department of Education that advises that schools should prohibit the use of mobile phones. Alongside this, I believe it is important that headteachers retain responsibility for deciding how they choose to implement this policy.

Please rest assured that I will continue to work towards keeping children safe online.