Gregor Poynton MP challenges social media giants on responsibility for violent online content following Southport attack

Livingston Constituency MP Gregor Poynton has called on social media companies to do more to stop harmful content from reaching vulnerable people.

His comments came during a statement in Parliament about the tragic mass stabbing in Southport, where three children lost their lives and ten others were injured at a dance workshop.

Mr Poynton raised concerns over findings from Merseyside Police, the CPS, and counter-terrorism police which revealed that the accused had accessed disturbing online material, including content about genocides and fatal stabbings.

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Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Poynton said: "We heard from Merseyside Police, the CPS, and counter-terrorism police about the wide range of violent content that the accused was accessing, including genocides and social media searches for violent and fatal stabbings.

Gregor Poynton MP for the Livingston ConstituencyGregor Poynton MP for the Livingston Constituency
Gregor Poynton MP for the Livingston Constituency

"Now, I know the Home Secretary has covered some of this in her statement and previous questions, but can I ask her: What more should the social media and search giants be doing? Firstly, to stop our young people accessing this content in the first place, and secondly, once they're made aware of it, taking it down quickly from their sites?"

Responding, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper MP agreed that social media companies must take greater responsibility: "These social media companies have incredibly sophisticated technology and resources. They know exactly how to target us with things we might be interested in online, using algorithms in all kinds of advanced ways.

"They have the capability to do much more to identify this dangerous content and take action. Instead of stepping back from content moderation, they need to take their responsibilities seriously."

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Commenting after the statement, Mr Poynton, who is also Chair of the cross-party All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Children’s Online Safety, said he would “continue to push for stronger rules to hold social media companies to account, ensuring harmful material is removed quickly to protect young people and prevent future tragedies".

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