Fact check: What are the most common social media offenses leading to arrests in the UK in 2024?

1. Summary of the results

The most common social media offenses leading to arrests in the UK in 2024 include harmful communication, such as incitement to terrorism and violence, online threats, and abuse, as reported by ^[1]. These offenses are punishable under laws like Section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and the 1988 Malicious Communications Act, which can result in fines or imprisonment of up to six months or two years, respectively ^[1]. Statistics show that despite a high number of arrests, with over 30 arrests per day for offensive online messages ^[2], the number of people actually prosecuted or imprisoned is low, with only 137 people sentenced to immediate imprisonment under these provisions in 2024 ^[1]. The West Yorkshire Police reported 24,703 arrests relating to harassment and malicious communications, with 1,533 containing keywords like 'FACEBOOK', 'TWITTER', or 'INSTAGRAM' ^[3]. The Online Safety Act introduces new criminal offenses, including encouraging or assisting serious self-harm, cyberflashing, and sending false information intended to cause non-trivial harm ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context is the definition of "harmful communication" and how it is applied in practice, which could lead to varying interpretations and applications of the law ^[1]. Alternative viewpoints suggest that the police are struggling to deal with 'lawful but awful' online content, highlighting the complexities of policing online speech ^[5]. Additionally, the Financial Conduct Authority's actions against financial influencers for providing illegal financial advice on social media demonstrate the breadth of online offenses beyond traditional notions of "harmful communication" ^[6]. The debate over free speech and its limits, as sparked by the arrest of TV writer Graham Linehan, underscores the need for nuanced discussions around online content regulation ^[7]. The implementation of the Online Safety Act and its requirements for platforms to take action to stop children from seeing illegal and harmful material also introduce new considerations for online safety ^[8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be biased towards emphasizing the severity of social media offenses, as it does not provide context on the low prosecution and imprisonment rates despite high arrest numbers ^[1]. The statement also lacks information on the diversity of online offenses, such as financial advice and self-harm, which are addressed by different regulatory bodies ^{[6] [4]}. The sources cited, including those from the Free Speech Union and the Government website, may have differing agendas and perspectives on online content regulation, which could influence the presentation of information ^{[2] [9]}. Furthermore, the emphasis on certain types of offenses, such as incitement to terrorism and violence, may create a skewed perception of the prevalence of these crimes compared to other online offenses ^[1].