Internet users who encourage self-harm could be jailed for up to five years, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has said.
Additions to the Online Safety Bill will make it a crime to encourage someone to cause serious self-harm, regardless of whether or not victims go on to injure themselves.
The offence will add to existing laws which make it illegal to encourage or assist someone to take their own life.
Ministers previously announced the promotion of self-harm would be criminalised but on Thursday confirmed the maximum penalty for the offence upon conviction would be imprisonment for five years.
‘Cowardly Trolls’
Police or prosecutors will only have to prove communication was intended to encourage or assist serious self-harm amounting to grievous bodily harm—this could include serious injuries such as broken bones or permanent scarring.
General encouragement of self-harm, starving, and not taking prescribed medication will be covered by the law, the MoJ said.
The offence will apply even where the perpetrator does not know the person they are targeting.
Justice Secretary Alex Chalk said: “There is no place in our society for those who set out to deliberately encourage the serious self-harm of others. Our new law will send a clear message to these cowardly trolls that their behaviour is not acceptable.
“Building on the existing measures in the Online Safety Bill, our changes will make it easier to convict these vile individuals and make the internet a better and safer place for everyone.”
Molly Russell’s Suicide
The measures adopt a 2021 Law Commission recommendation that individuals responsible for encouraging or assisting serious self-harm should be better held to account by criminal law.
They follow the case of Molly Russell, a teenage girl who took her life after being exposed to graphic self-harm and suicide content online.
Russell, a 14-year-old girl from Harrow, northwest London, who her father said showed no obvious signs of mental illness, took her own life on Nov. 21, 2017.
After Molly’s death, her father Ian Russell said the family had found several dozen Instagram accounts Molly had followed with tags such as sad, lonely, or depressed, and one they looked at had graphic self-harming images.
He also said Pinterest had sent the teenager automated messages recommending depression-related content based on her browsing history.
Following a five-year inquest, a coroner concluded in September 2022 that “negative effects of online content” were a contributing factor in her death.
Coroner Andrew Walker said some content “romanticised acts of self-harm by young people on themselves,” while other content “sought to isolate and discourage discussion with those who may have been able to help.”
Regulating Online Spaces
The Online Safety Bill, which will be the first major set of regulations for the internet anywhere in the world, is intended to “protect children from harmful content such as pornography and limit people’s exposure to illegal content, while protecting freedom of speech.”
Under the bill, the biggest social media platforms such as Google, Twitter, and Meta must carry out risk assessments on the types of harms that could appear on their services and how they plan to address them, setting out how they will do this in their terms of service.
Communications regulator Ofcom will have the power to fine companies failing to comply with the law up to 10 percent of their annual global turnover.
The bill has been criticised by politicians within the Conservative Party as well as free speech activists such as the Free Speech Union, who warn of the bill’s consequences for the freedom of expression.
In July 2022, Tory MP David Davis said that “the bill could end up being one of the most significant accidental infringements on free speech in modern times.”
And in May of that year, leading media law expert Gavin Millar, KC, wrote in a legal opinion for the freedom of expression campaign group Index on Censorship that everyone who uses the internet will be affected by the Online Safety Bill, and that it will “significantly curtail freedom of expression in a way that has profound consequences.”
PA Media contributed to this report.
Please Support These Patriotic Sponsors
Solar Power Generator Discounts Along With Free Shipping
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 2000 Pro Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery SolarSaga 200W Solar Panel with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 1500 Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Solar Generator 1000 Series with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 1500 Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 1000 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 500 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery Explorer 300 Pro Portable Power Station with code "JADEAL"
- 10% OFF for Jackery SolarSaga 100W Solar Panel with code "JADEAL"
The University of Georgia is represented by the Georgia Bulldogs . The Bulldogs participate in the Southeastern Conference's (SEC) Eastern Division of the NCAA.
They play their home games in the storied Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia. The first season in Georgia was in 1892. In 1942, 1980, and 2021, the Georgia Bulldogs won three national championships.
The Georgia Bulldogs have additionally been crowned the National Champion in four additional seasons by at least one polling organization (1920, 1927, 1946 and 1968).
The Georgia Bulldogs are tied for second place in conference history with their 15 conference titles, including 13 SEC titles, and their 59 bowl appearances, which ranks second all-time.
In addition, the program has produced five top picks in the National Football League (NFL) draft, two Heisman Trophy winners, numerous winners of various national honors, and many others.
Longhorns football represents the University of Texas in Austin often known as Texas, UT or the Texas Longhorns. The Longhorns represent the Big 12 Conference in the NCAA Division. They play in Austin, Texas, at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
The Texas Longhorns are ranked third and seventh, respectively, in terms of all-time wins and win-loss records, with over 900 victories and an overall win-loss percentage of.705.
The legendary program also boasts four national titles, 32 conference titles, 100 First Team All-Americans, and two Heisman Trophy winners.
Get your Texas Longhorns Revival T-Shirt today. The Texas Longhorns Rustic Revival shirt is also a fan favorite.
Many college sports fans like to wear their gear all around town, get your Texas Longhorns Centered gear and show your support.