London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

Social media trolls could face two years in prison over posts intended to cause ‘psychological harm’ – reports

Social media trolls could face two years in prison over posts intended to cause ‘psychological harm’ – reports

British social media users could reportedly face a two-year prison term if they send messages or post content deemed to have caused “psychological harm” under the UK government’s draft law to tackle hate speech and abuse online.
As part of the review process on the government’s upcoming Online Safety Bill, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has apparently accepted recommendations to shift the law’s focus from the actual content of a message to its potentially “harmful effect”.

According to The Times, the plans have been sent to the cabinet for approval and UK Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries is expected to add them to the bill when it is introduced to Parliament next month.

In July, the Law Commission warned of a gap in existing law governing online behaviour, noting that it “over-criminalises” in some situations and “under-criminalises” in others. Claiming that the reliance on “vague terms” like “grossly offensive” and “indecent” had set the threshold for criminality “too low”, the oversight body proposed a new classification of offences based on “likely psychological harm”. Trolls may face two years in prison for sending such messages.

Under this categorisation, prosecution would focus on the intent of a perpetrator to cause harm through an abusive post or message – and without “reasonable excuse” (understood as relating to the public interest).

A proposed new “threatening communications” offence will cover posts and messages containing threats of serious harm, The Times reported. This would make such material punishable if it can be proven that the sender intends their victim to fear that the threat will be carried out.

Meanwhile, an anti-misinformation offence – described by the newspaper as a “knowingly false communication” offence – will be formulated to criminalise messages or posts senders know to be untrue with the intent to cause “emotional, psychological, or physical harm to the likely audience”. In this regard, The Times reported that unnamed government sources had referenced the example of “anti-vaxxers spreading false information that they know to be untrue.”

Another new offence will reportedly focus on so-called “pile-on” harassment, which refers to instances where a number of individuals join together to send abusive messages and specifically target a victim on social media. The practice has previously been described by the Law Commission as “genuinely harmful and distressing”.

Making its recommendations, the commission cited a report by the Alan Turing Institute that estimated that approximately one-third of people in the UK have been exposed to online abuse. In recent weeks, the debate over online harm has grown after Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen told UK MPs that the tech firm was “subsidising hate”. The knife-killing of Conservative MP David Amess last month has also led to increased calls for an end to online anonymity.

In the wake of Amess’ murder, UK Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab said there was a “case” to be made for removing the “veil of anonymity” to prevent internet users from “[abusing] their position on social media”. Although no immediate link was made between the killing and social media, a number of MPs also lobbied Prime Minister Boris Johnson to include the so-called ‘David’s Law’ on removing anonymity to “toughen up” the Online Safety Bill.

An unnamed government spokesman told the paper that the draft bill would “[make] our laws fit for the digital age” and “make tech companies responsible for people’s safety”. However, privacy rights groups have criticised the evaluation of criminality on the basis of ‘psychological harm’ as an effort to “censor lawful speech that the politically powerful don’t like” using the pretext of “reining in tech companies”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
×