Petition · Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Make online bullying a specific crime & new rules for social media platforms
Closed
522 signatures
What the petition asks
We want the Government to legislate to make online bullying a specific criminal offence. We also want social media platforms to be held accountable for it by legally requiring them to remove harmful content quickly and be held responsible if they fail to act.
We’re calling for:
- A new criminal offence for online bullying
- Legal obligations for social media platforms to remove bullying content within 24– 48 hours
- Mandatory data preservation to support police investigations
- Financial or legal penalties if platforms ignore reports of online bullying.
We think online spaces should be as safe as real life and that these changes would help protect children, vulnerable people, and everyone from serious harm.
- A new criminal offence for online bullying
- Legal obligations for social media platforms to remove bullying content within 24– 48 hours
- Mandatory data preservation to support police investigations
- Financial or legal penalties if platforms ignore reports of online bullying.
We think online spaces should be as safe as real life and that these changes would help protect children, vulnerable people, and everyone from serious harm.
Timeline
| 11 Jun 2025 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 11 Dec 2025 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
522
Status
Closed
Department
Department for Science, Innovation and Technology
Opened
11 Jun 2025
Closed
11 Dec 2025
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 3 Aug 2026.