Mumsnet Asks with Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle - get your questions in!

[JustineMumsnet]

Hi all,
Next week we're off to Westminster to put your questions directly to the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Peter Kyle MP.
His brief covers some big-ticket issues that matter to a lot of us - including online safety, social media controls for kids, AI, digital rights and copyright, and the broader impact of tech on family life. So if you’ve got a question you’d like me to ask, post it below.
As ever, one question per user please and keep it civil. We’ll be tight on time, so please keep questions short and sharp, so I can get through as many as possible.
We’ll close the thread Sunday evening - so do get your questions in before then. We'll report back soon with the Secretary of State’s responses.
Thanks,
Justine

I understand the government is looking to increase the UK's compute capability by at least 20 times by 2030 to keep pace with AI. My question is this - where is the power for this huge expansion going to come from?

Renewable energy sources are great but they're inconstant which is exactly what you don't want for huge datacentres. Nuclear power is potentially much better as it's more stable but Hinckley C has shown it to be both staggeringly expensive and takes decades to come online. And hydrocarbons are obviously out. So what's left? Where are these gigawatts of power going to come from?

Hi Peter - thanks for coming on Mumsnet. I'm really worried about the impact of smartphones and social media on kids. It really feels like something the Government needs to take action on. Do you have plans to do so? And if so, what will you do?

I’m interested to hear about this too, it needs addressing as smart phones and social media is ruining our children and society! Online safety is a massive problem as many Apps such as Roblox are allowing online grooming and abuse.

Teens are spending 35 hours a week on their smartphones and mental health statistics among this cohort are shocking. I believe these things are related. Teens report feeling relieved when their devices are taken away. The only winners are the companies making addictive apps and games designed to keep you scrolling. Why isn't the British Government prioritising its people over big tech and making decisive moves like other Govts - for example Australia where they have banned social media for under 16s?

Given all the news recently regarding large chemical companies instigating closures and down sizing, what is going to be done to utilize all the science and engineering graduates - past, present and future - to maintain the once world leading science, technology and innovation sector?

What can the government do to stop AI destroying entry level jobs for young people? If young people go into debt for university and then can’t get a starter job because AI does it instead, how will they get the experience needed to progress? Even the kids studying computing and tech are not getting jobs easily. Arts and culture also need protection from AI.

Hi Peter, thanks for doing this. Similarly to some of the previous posters, I feel like government is just failing to grasp the magnitude of the problem when it comes to kids and social media.

The technology is addictive by design so it seems strange that you and others think we need more evidence before we ban it for children. Do you genuinely not think there is enough evidence of harm to suggest we need to urgently take action? And even if its not 100% conclusive, surely this a situation where the precautionary principle should apply?

And where will all the water come from to keep them cool? Liverpool, one of the wettest part in the country, is in drought for the first time in 40 years - after a new data centre built there. Environment Agency can’t currently monitor how much water AI is using - thus feels like a serious risk. How will the minister monitor and minimise water use by data centres?

Hi. I am concerned about the environmental impact of AI as well as the reduction in critical thinking and research skills it is likely to cause in young people. How will we ensure that people do not actually become more incapable and increasingly reliant on AI? How will employers tell the true abililities of potential employees?

As a working Mum I am currently watching the rapid roll out of AI in my workplace. I think in the next 1-2 years I will be replaced by AI has any thought been given to the impact this will have on families when we have mass unemployment of families this is not just a case of saying you need to up skill to remain employed our human skills are becoming redundant and companies seem to be allowed free will to just get rid of people for machines. What jobs will be there for our kids what protection is there for their futures?

Question: I understand that Peter pushed for the Safer Phones Bill to be watered down in April this year, to only do research on the harms of addictive social media and smartphones to children, rather than immediate change. Will this research be completed by the end of 2025 so that evidence-based new policies protecting our kids from the brain rot of tech addiction can be adopted within 2026 at the latest?

More info for Mumsnet readers:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/mar/05/safer-phones-bill-aimed-at-young-teens-watered-down-after-minister-opposition

For any parent carer (or person with an interest in children's future!) who wants to act before the government gets its act together, please have a look at the Smartphone Free Childhood website and consider signing the Parent Pact or collaborating with others in your school/area. https://www.smartphonefreechildhood.org/the-issue/problem

Also lots of info from real doctors about the harms of smartphones for kids here: https://healthprofessionalsforsaferscreens.org/

Hi Peter, thanks for taking our questions. Is there any intention to introduce age verification measures that actually work across social media platforms? Parental controls are helpful, but kids can get around them easily and they are dependent on parents understanding them in the first place. It feels like the onus is always on parents, and yes, we of course have a responsibility but imo so do the platforms.

Social media should be banned until the age of 16. The vast majority of reserach show that it damages children's mental and physical health. There arr simple and good age verification checks when opening bank accounts linked to passports etc. Something like this needs rolled out onto the social media platforms.

Why does the government seem so determined to let massive tech companies rip off artists and creators, and use their content for free to train their AI Models?

When the Safer Phones Bill was watered down there were reports that Chris Whitty was going to be commissioned to report on whether u16s should be banned from social media. Is that actually happening and if so when do you expect him to conclude?

Why, when all the research shows the damage they do, did you vote to water down the Safer Phones Bill? You need to listen to parents, teachers and schools on this and stop assuming that you know better.

There's lots of evidence to suggest that kids' experience of school is much better when smartphones are properly banned and/or locked away during the school day (rather than for example a policy which allows them to keep their phones with them but not look at them which is just impossible for teachers to police). Why not have this as a national policy?

Given the scale of public investment in R&D (over £8 billion a year) why is it that so few people are aware of the extent of this government support? What would you do to improve visibility, and public engagement with this significant and important investment in the UKs future?

It's been suggested that the new children's online safety codes coming into force are already out of date because they don't cover things like AI chatbots. When tech is evolving so rapidly, how can policy and legislation possible keep up? Do you think we need to act with more urgency to do so? The Online Safety Act has taken so long to get into place and it feels like tech companies are always one step ahead.

Thanks for coming onto Mumsnet.

The whole point of technology is that it should improve our lives but at the moment it doesn't feel like that, particularly for 'normal' people. With Ai for example - its so useful for some things and can make companies more efficient - but that then results in people losing their jobs. So how do we make sure it doesn't just end up making regular people poorer while billionaires cream off yet more profit from the 'efficiencies' they've made?

My question is with digital exams incoming how will you ensure within schools both teachers and students have access to laptops and the technology so that they're not disadvantaged by digital exams (those with lack of acess to laptops and also schools who cannot afford them for students)?. Digital exams have amazing potential and can have incredible capability to make exams better and even have newfound elements to them e.g MFL having to interact in a video stimulation where you don't know the situation. But if not all students have the same access to prepare then it could exacerbate inequality.

How do you think AI will change education?

Do you not think Big Tech firms can afford to pay for the words they're scraping to build and maintain their models? I just read that Meta are paying AI researchers $100m sign on bonuses, Open Ai is valued at $300bn - what makes you think they should be able to ignore our copyright laws and lift whatever content they like?

How do you think your government has done in the last year? What can Labour do to combat the rise of reform and are you expecting to be reshuffled soon?

There are some worrying reports of the way AI is creating a toxic mysogynist culture. How could you ensure that AI companies do not do this and that the algorithms they use do not discriminate against women, people of colour and minority groups?