Petition · Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Make Online Defamation and Cyberbullying a specific offence

Closed 69 signatures

What the petition asks

We ask the Government and Parliament to recognise online defamation, and cyberbullying as a specific offence, given that it can cause real psychological, social, and professional harm.
Online defamation and cyberbullying can destroy reputations, careers, and mental health. We feel that victims often have insufficient protection, while harmful posts can remain public for months. Freedom of expression should not mean freedom to harm. We want the government to create recognise these actions as specific offence(s), with provisions to ensure swifter removal of abusive content so that online spaces are safe and governed by respect and responsibility.

Timeline

8 Dec 2025 Petition opened for signatures
8 Jun 2026 Closed to new signatures

Key facts

Signatures 69
Status Closed
Department Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Opened 8 Dec 2025
Closed 8 Jun 2026

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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 16 Aug 2026.