cheltonian politics
Alex Chalk MPfor Cheltenham Thismonth with...
Time is Up
CheltenhamMPAlex Chalk discusses the impact and responsibilities of social media companies
Time’s up. After over a decade in which social media companies have been able to evade responsibility for toxic content on their platform, the Government has nowsignalled that action is coming. Not before time inmy view. Last
month I called in Parliament for sanctions against sites which host material glamorising knife violence. If
we are going to defeat this scourge the private sector needs to act responsibly and play its part. And the grim fact is themost
casual online searches will reveal videos and images of so-called Zombie andRamboknives,Gator machetes and customised Samurai
swords.Somesocial media platforms are even being used to
incite violence. But concerns about online
content go beyond overtly harmful material. Social media can act insidiously too in terms of the pressure it can put on our young people. Inmy Parliamentary inquiry into the impact of cyberbullying on adolescentmental health, I heard chilling evidence of the effect that incessant trolling and abuse can have on young minds. Following those debates, the
Government is nowplanning tomake social networks liable for the content on their platforms and comply with a code of conduct. Thiswould include a formal duty of
care, requiring platforms to protect their users fromharms ranging from cyberbullying to imagery of self-harm and extremeviolence. I think that’s a verywelcome step
forward.Only time will tell if more measures are necessary. The internet has brought incredible freedoms across theworld and an amazing ability to communicate. But it also has the troubling capacity to distort, mislead and even promote hatred and violence. We owe it to current and future
generations to address these issues now. The time for action is now.
44 MARCH/ APRIL 2019 THECHELTONIAN
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