Tech firms that fail to swiftly remove knife-crime related content from their platforms could be hit with fines of up to £70,000 under new powers unveiled by the UK government this week.
As part of Labour’s upcoming crime and policing bill, platforms and search engines will be legally obliged to take down illegal content- including videos that glorify knife violence or promote sales of weapons – within 48 hours of a police warning.
Those that fail to comply will face civil penalties of £60,000 per offence, on top of £10,000 fines already announced for individual tech execs.
The move reflects growing pressure on the tech sector to do more to protect young people from what ministers have described as “sickening” online material.
A new police enforcement unit, based with the met police and backed by £1.75m in funding, will oversee content take-down orders across all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
Policing minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “The kind of content that young people scroll through every day is sickening. We are going further than ever before to hold tech firms accountable for their failure to keep harmful content off their platforms”.
Patrick Green, chief executive of anti-knife crime charity the Ben Kinsella trust, welcomed the move. He said: “Social media companies have repeatedly failed to act quickly enough. It’s shameful that legislation is even needed – but necessary”.
Knife crime levels in England and Wales remain high, with over 54,000 offences recorded last year, a two per cent rise.
Several forces reported record levels, including the Met, Avon and Somerset and Lancashire.
Campaigners warn that while the fines are a step forward, they must be part of a wider strategy that includes youth services, community investment, and education.
These include tools to verify user age, block underage access to adult content, and remove harmful material linked to self harm, suicide, and eating disorders.
