Tag: online safety

Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Bishop of Newcastle points out lack of safeguards in online processes

The Bishop of Newcastle spoke during the committee debate on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill on 30th January 2026, highlighting the lack of adequate safeguards in any online-only process for facilitating assisted dying:

The Lord Bishop of Newcastle: My Lords, taken together, the amendments in this group highlight the importance of contact with people at the hardest time in their lives—a time when we must be most vulnerable, clinically and personally. This must not be a process in which anyone is made to feel rushed or that can be completed entirely online.

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Votes: Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill

On 21st January 2026, the House of Lords voted on amendments to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. The Bishop of Manchester and the Bishop of Newcastle took part in votes:

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Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester speaks to amendment on social media use by under 18s

On 21st January 2026, The Bishop of Manchester spoke in committee debate on an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill regarding use of social media by under 18s, pointing out the procedural deficits of rushing to vote on an amendment and the need for the UK to resist pressure from tech companies:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, perhaps I am a simple-minded and naive bishop, but it seems we are getting into a debate we probably should have had in Committee on the different ways of approaching a quite specific issue, and I would rather we did not spend all night doing that. Yet we are where we are.

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Bishop of Gloucester asks about role of Ofcom in regulating online deepfakes

The Bishop of Gloucester asked a question on the effectiveness of Ofcom during a discussion on the proliferation of non-consensual sexual deepfakes of women on X/Twitter on 14th January 2026:

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I welcome moves by the Government on this issue. I came off X last September and there is wider debate to be had about that site. Given that we know that the use of AI tools to harm women will only accelerate—recent research has found thousands of nudification apps available—I repeat my question from earlier this week: what more will the Government do to create a robust framework so that AI will be used responsibly in the whole landscape of misogyny and abuse?

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Bishop of Norwich asks about education on harmful online materials

The Bishop of Norwich asked a question on the role of Ofsted’s new education framework in facilitating education on harmful online materials on 4th December 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: My Lords, given the Church of England’s role in education, I welcome the age limits introduced for harmful material sites. However, it is very hard to police the use of VPNs, and thus education is likely to be needed in a great deal of cases, as well as enforcement. What role will Ofsted’s new framework play in ensuring that statutory relationships, sex and health education is delivered effectively with regard to this matter?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about impact of AI and smartphone use in schools for children

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd May 2025:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the 5Rights Children and AI Design Code, and what steps they are taking to assess the impact of AI on children.

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Bishop of Leicester asks about tackling online abuse and prejudice

On 5th September 2024, during a discussion on the ability of current online safety legislation to regulate abuse, the Bishop of Leicester asked a question on the need to tackle the root causes of prejudice leading to online abuse, and the role communities and faith groups can play in helping to combat it:

The Lord Bishop of Leicester: My Lords, I recognise absolutely the urgency and importance of legislation in this area, but does the Minister agree that equally important is the work of tackling the prejudice that lies behind online abuse, and the important role therefore of intermediate institutions such as community groups and faith groups in tackling prejudice? What are the Government doing to support those groups in that work?

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Bishop of St Albans asks about violence against women

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 May (HL4639), when the findings of the feasibility study on the possibility of developing prevalence estimates for female genital mutilation and forced marriage will be published.

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Archbishop of York asks about non-consensual creation and sharing of intimate images

On 13th February 2024, during a discussion on the proliferation of AI being used to create intimate images without consent, the Archbishop of York raised a point of clarification on the difference between malicious and non-malicious sharing of these images:

The Lord Archbishop of York: My Lords, it would be very helpful if the Minister could explain. If I heard him correctly, he said that sharing has a six month ban but for malicious sharing it could be up to two years. Could he explain what non-malicious use would be?

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Votes: Online Safety Bill

On 12th July 2023, the House of Lords debated the Online Safety Bill in the report stage. A vote was held on an amendment to the bill, in which a Bishop took part:

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