07 November 2025
Joint statement from the Minister for
Justice and Home Affairs, Minister for Children and Families, Minister for Education and
Lifelong Learning and Minister for Sustainable Economic Development:
The Government of Jersey welcomes the report from the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Panel on digital harms, with its particular focus on the risks to children and young
people. We recognise the importance of this review in highlighting these risks and the need for
Jersey’s legislative, regulatory and policy frameworks to be robust, responsive, and aligned with
best practice in safeguarding children and young people in the digital environment.
The Government acknowledges the concerns raised during the Panel’s hearings and written
submissions, including the need for clearer protections against harmful online content, the role
of education in building digital resilience, and the responsibilities of technology providers and
social media platforms.
The Government will be providing a formal response to the Scrutiny report and already has
taken several steps to strengthen protection for Islanders against online harms:
- Cross-Ministerial Coordination: the establishment of a cross-Ministerial working group
to coordinate policy development across departments, focusing on online safety and
digital wellbeing for children.
- Education Initiatives: the implementation by schools of enhanced digital literacy and
wellbeing programmes, including partnerships with organisations such as the NSPCC
and Safeguarding Jersey, to equip children with the tools to navigate online spaces
safely, and the review of information on parental controls provided by local
telecommunications suppliers.
- Policy Reform: From September 2025, the restriction in all Government of Jersey
schools of mobile phone use during the school day for students up to Year 11, as part of
a broader strategy to reduce exposure to harmful content and promote healthier digital
habits.
- Law Reform: development of new legislation to create intimate image abuse, stalking
and harassment offences and to support the right of Islanders to have illegal content
taken down by online platforms.
To further strengthen our collaborative approach, the Government is convening a meeting with
local telecommunications providers in December 2025 to further explore solutions to mitigate
digital harms. This reflects our commitment to working in partnership with industry, parents and
care providers, charities, and related organisations to support the protection of Jersey’s
children and young people from online harms, and families in managing digital risks.
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