- The government has told TikTok and other social media companies to take down content featuring a social media trend showing people driving the wrong way down roads.
- Defence minister Luke Pollard said social media platforms should act to remove posts showing people driving the wrong way down roads, and Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey called the trend “worrying” and “absolutely idiotic.”
- There is no automatic duty on social media providers to take down videos under the Online Safety Act unless a wrong-way driving video is classed as illegal content; the Act requires tech firms to assess and mitigate risks of illegal content, but the content itself must amount to a criminal offence to be considered illegal.
The UK government has taken a firm stance against a troubling trend on TikTok, urging the platform to remove videos depicting users driving the wrong way on roads. Defence Minister Luke Pollard emphasized the need for social media companies to act responsibly in curbing such dangerous behavior.234
Cleveland police commissioner Matt Storey expressed his concerns, stating, “Without being able to say whether that was anything like involved in this case, it’s absolutely idiotic for anybody to be doing anything other than being completely 100% focused on the road when they’re behind the wheel of a vehicle.” This sentiment reflects a growing alarm over the prevalence of reckless driving trends on social media.
While the Online Safety Act mandates tech firms to mitigate risks associated with illegal content, there is no automatic obligation to remove videos unless they are classified as illegal. The Act requires platforms to swiftly remove illegal content once they are aware of it, but the definition of illegal content remains a critical factor in enforcement.
The government’s call to action highlights the need for a collaborative effort between authorities and social media platforms to ensure road safety and prevent the spread of harmful trends. As the trend continues to gain traction, the responsibility lies with both users and platforms to prioritize safety over sensationalism.1
“Under the Online Safety Act, platforms face no automatic duty to remove such videos unless they constitute illegal content, which requires the act to amount to a criminal offence. Cleveland police and crime commissioner Matt Storey called the trend 'worrying' and 'absolutely idiotic'.”
The Independent
