Elon Musk is set to receive a reprimand from Ofcom for the failure to remove posts from his platform X inciting violence, but not for some months, and the government has been increasingly talking up action against social media and tech firms in its quest to protect children online.
They look like they need to do much more to shift public perceptions, with 63% of Britons saying that the government is not tough enough on tech and social media companies – just 11% think they get the approach right, and a mere 7% think they are too tough.
That the government is not tough enough on these firms is the prevailing view across all the major voting groups, although Reform UK voters (51%) are notably less likely to say so than voters for the other four main parties (70-77%).
But what do Britons make of the government’s approach to tech and social media companies? To find out, we used our new YouGov AI Interviewer tool to ask respondents: “Can you tell us in more detail your thoughts on how the government's approach to these companies should look?”
The AI agent then conducted interviews with each respondent, following up on their responses, in order to provide ‘the why’ behind what Britons think. Our qualitative analysis of attitudes, including quotes, can be found below, along with examples of respondent interviews in their entirety.
Getting tougher and holding companies to account
Many respondents want the government to take a firmer line, arguing that tech companies put profit first and will only change if forced to. Suggestions include large fines, treating platforms as publishers, and banning firms that do not comply.
- “If you look at social media’s response to societal issues it is held responsible for, it won’t make any changes unless it is forced to change. The only way it will do that is if it is financially less viable to continue on its current path than it would be to change direction. That can only come through legislation. The practical elements of how you implement that is another matter.” – Man, 45-54
- “Government should treat social media companies as publishers/broadcasters and hold them responsible for the content they publish and the manner in which they direct content to individuals” – Man, 55+
- “It should be tough. They've proven they can't self regulate so they need massive fines and bans” – Man, 45-54
- “They should face financial consequences for not safeguarding users” – Woman, 18-24
Tackling harmful and illegal content
Many want stronger action against harmful material online, including hate speech and racism, abuse and bullying, pornography, self-harm content and scams. Some say their complaints to platforms go unanswered.
- “The Government needs to have tighter controls over what social media will allow to appear online. Hate crime, prejudices, pornography, self-harm clips online are extremely damaging.” – Woman, 55+
- “I TINK THEY NEED TO BE MORE PRESENT IN MONITORING COMPLAINTS AND RACISM ETYC. i HAVE COMPLAINED SEVERAL TIMES TO TIK TOK AND ITS AI OPERATED. NOBOSY EVER GETS BACK TO ME AND DISTUBING THINGS ARE ALLOWED” – Woman, 45-54
- “I back Martin Lewis in asking for tech firms to take responsibility and act swiftly to deal with scams, data leaks and misinformation.” – Woman, 55+
- “To make some restrictions to some haters that come to discriminate others” – Woman, 18-24
Protecting children and young people
Many focus on children, calling for age limits, an under-16 ban or stricter age checks to stop young people seeing harmful content. Some doubt that a ban would work, saying children will find a way around it.
- “As a teacher I’m really concerned about the effects of social media on children. Too much info is readily available about things children shouldn’t be exposed to.” – Woman, 55+
- “Zero tolerance of allowing tech companies to manipulate children for profit” – Man, 45-54
- “I think they should restrict access to children and teenagers so that they don’t see things that will harm their social development” – Woman, 18-24
- “Under 16s will always find a way around social media bans, it is better to bring in ways to make it less harmful rather than taking it away completely” – Woman, 35-44
Misinformation, algorithms and political influence
Some are concerned about fake news and about algorithms that push users towards one point of view. Some also object to the political influence of platform owners such as Elon Musk.
- “Tech companies have way more power politically and socially than they should now. They need heavy regulation given their ability to project information into every smartphone and computer, and their seeming unwillingness to address the disinformation and misinformation that forms opinions that can easily result in division.” – Woman, 45-54
- “There should be something to stop social media feeds from feeding people with one point of view. For instance if you think Reform is right, you get a load of material reinforcing that opinion, instead of give alternative viewpoints. As an example when I “liked” a pro soldier post, I got bombarded with right wing propaganda posts.” – Man, 55+
- “I think social media companies should be held accountable for the spreading of fake news and misinformation, especially when that causes hatred and division amongst populations. Posts should be fact checked.” – Woman, 35-44
- “I don't really know in a legal sense but public figures who own these companies (eg Elon Musk) should not be allowed to intervene in our politics when they make the algorithms which shape people's views.” – Man, 18-24
Free speech and government overreach
Some think the government should step back, warning against censorship, surveillance and mandatory age verification. Some say that what children see online is for parents, not the state, to manage.
- “I think they are trying to influence and silence social media for their own ends. I disagree with this. We used to believe in Free Speech in this country and I think they should think about that first in their approach.” – Woman, 55+
- “The government is trying to be big brother and take on parents responsibility for what children see. Fundamentally what children see and how they react to this is a parental responsibility. Bring up your children properly and they will react properly. We do not need the state mandating every aspect of our lives.” – Man, 55+
- “I feel the governments current stance on social media is very dystopian and too big brothery” – Man, 45-54
- “The government should not enforce mandatory age verification or digital ID to access the internet.” – Woman, 18-24
Tax and the power of big tech
Some want tech companies to pay their fair share of tax in the UK. Some say these firms have become too powerful, and that governments are wary of standing up to them.
- “They should face more regulation and taxation. At the moment they are allowed to profit with minimum contribution to our society. I feel that it is time regulation forced them to behave in a socially responsible way. I am fed up of tech billionaires, who have far too much influence in our country and others (e.g USA) exploiting the rest of us for their own benefit and putting profits and making even more money above everything else.” – Woman, 55+
- “If the social media companies want to do business in the UK, then they should abide by UK rules (Tax, Online Safety etc.)” – Man, 35-44
- “Governments are scared of high tech companies especially US companies” – Man, 55+
- “To be honest, they should increase corperstion tax on them since they are internstional” – Man, 18-24
Other themes
Other points raised by some respondents include protecting privacy and personal data, ending anonymous accounts and the need for international cooperation. Some doubt the government can regulate the internet at all, or that politicians understand the technology well enough to try.
- “The approach needs to be global, as most of theses tech and social media companies are not based in the UK. A new global body needs to be established to monitor and regulate these companies worldwide.” – Woman, 55+
- “They should prevent them from allowing anonymous accounts. Everybody should post in their own name” – Man, 55+
- “I don't really think there is any point trying to regulate them as it's impossible to regulate to he internet. Politicians don't understand technology or how things like AI work” – Man, 35-44
- “Should be harsher on social media companies in regards to privacy” – Woman, 18-24
