Minister tells social media firms to remove posts that ‘celebrate’ dangerous driving after A66 crash
Luke Pollard says government will force platforms to remove content, after latest deadly crash involving a car driving in wrong direction A minister has pressed social media companies to remove content from their platforms showcasing dangerous driving after a fatal collision that killed seven people in Middlesbrough . The crash in the early hours of Saturday, in which PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough died, occurred when a Volkswagen Passat, containing five individuals aged between 23 and 17, crashed head-on with a marked armed response vehicle while driving the wrong way on the A66. The five people in the Passat: Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Robert Cahill, 23 and Jacob Matusiak, 23 were also pronounced dead at the scene. The Passat was being pursued by police, who began following it after receiving intelligence of “multiple incidents” related to a vehicle matching its description. Well this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate it.
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They said: “Under the Online Safety Act, platforms must minimise children’s exposure to violent material and content promoting dangerous challenges. “In July, we launched an investigation into TikTok’s compliance with its child safety duties, and we’ve shown we’ll take action if evidence suggests companies are falling short.” TikTok has denied that its content puts children at risk, claiming that it prohibits content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving, from being viewed, and that it removes any videos and accounts that break its rules.
