The UK Government have formally responded to the Youth Select Committee’s report, investigating how social media can impact youth violence. Members of the Youth Select Committee took oral evidence and examined written evidence from young people across the UK and questioned expert individuals, youth organisations and politicians including Ministers from inside Committee rooms in the House of Commons. This evidence informed the report, which called for urgent action from the Government to keep young people safe online.
In its response which has now been published, the Government recognised the risks posed by violent content online and outlined steps it is already taking, as well as areas where further work is needed.
Key actions include:
- Enforcing the Online Safety Act to hold social media platforms accountable for harmful content
- Supporting a specialist police unit to track and remove gang-related online content
- Backing Violence Reduction Units (VRUs) and community-led solutions
- Committing to better media literacy education and online safety guidance
- Investing in youth services to give young people positive, safe spaces
”We are pleased to see that the Government are in agreement with our key recommendations and the Committee welcomes the meaningful steps they are currently taking to keep young people safe in increasingly digital environments. Social media plays a significant part in young people's lives, and, though it is an excellent tool, it is vital its risks are addressed. The Committee looks forward to continued collaboration with the Government to help develop effective, long-term solutions and to ensure that the voices of young people remain central in shaping safer online spaces. Progress is being made, but now it’s time for action.”
Wania AhmadChair of the Youth Select Committee
This response represents a strong commitment to making online and offline spaces safer for young people. We will continue to support the work of the 2024/2025 Youth Select Committee in their collaboration with the Government on these topics.
We are pleased to say that the partnership between the UK Parliament and the National Youth Agency as the hosts of the UK Youth Parliament to run the Youth Select Committee will continue in 2025/26 and the new Members of the Youth Select Committee have been chosen. The 12 members of the Youth Select Committee are elected representatives of the UK Youth Parliament known as Members of the Youth Parliament (MYP’s). MYP’s applied to be a part of the Youth Select Committee explaining why they thought they should be selected and outlined a topic they would like the committee to focus on for the 2025/26 iteration. As this programme being a joint initiative by the UK Parliament and the National Youth Agency as the hosts of the UK Youth Parliament, YSC Members were chosen jointly by Parliamentary Staff and the National Youth Agency one per region and nation, based on the quality of their submission to ensure that each of the 12 regions and nations of the UK is represented in the committee.
In line with the long-standing commitment to being youth led, the YSC inquiry topic will be chosen by the MYP’s based on all the submissions and the views and issues of all their constituents as elected representatives of young people across the UK.
The Youth Select Committee members for 2025 -26 are:
- Thomas Grimshaw MYP, West Northamptonshire, East Midlands
- George Hare MYP, Thurrock, East of England
- Myra Soni MYP, Westminster, London
- Oliver Huermann MYP, Hartlepool, North East
- Bobby Forbes MYP, Cumberland, North West
- Robyn Ballantyne MYP, Lagan Valley, Northern Ireland
- Jamie Dickson MYP, Highland & Islands, Scotland
- Maya Guelbert MYP, Wokingham, South East
- Elliot Prantice MYP, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, South West
- Evie Somers MYP, Carmarthenshire, Wales
- Olivia Harold MYP, Warwickshire, West Midlands
- Ashaz Abbass MYP, Rotherham, Yorkshire and Humberside
