How many people are arrested in the uk for social media posts
Executive summary
Official reporting compiled by major news outlets and watchdogs indicates that arrests in the UK linked to online communications — including social media posts and private messages — are measured in the low tens of thousands per year, with a widely cited figure of roughly 12,000 arrests in 2023 (about 30–33 arrests per day), but the data are partial, context-dependent and disputed [1] [2] [3].
1. What the headline numbers are and where they come from
Investigations published in 2025 and summarised by organisations and outlets trace the headline figure to custody data obtained by The Times showing roughly 12,000 arrests in 2023 under communications offences often used for online posts, a total widely repeated in reporting and briefings to bodies such as the European Parliament and Freedom House [1] [2] [3].
2. What those arrests legally cover — and why that matters
The arrests counted are not limited to a single statute or to public social media platforms: they largely fall under section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 and section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, which criminalise certain kinds of messages sent by any medium, meaning custody figures can include email, messaging apps and other communications as well as social posts [4] [3].
3. Limits, gaps and how forces record ‘social media’ arrests
Police forces record and disclose communications-related arrests unevenly; some forces declined or provided inadequate responses to Freedom of Information requests, and local FOI responses make clear that identifying “social media” as an element often requires manual review of case records and keyword searches rather than a single central flag in custody data [5] [6]. Reporting therefore likely under- or misstates the true number depending on methodology and which forces are included [5].
4. What happens after arrest — prosecutions, convictions and the broader picture
Several fact-checks and commentators stress that although arrests are numerous, prosecutions and immediate custodial sentences are far fewer: watchdogs and fact-checkers note that convictions under these provisions have declined even as arrests rose, and separate analyses point out that only a small fraction of arrests lead to imprisonment, highlighting a gap between police action and court outcomes [7] [4] [3].
5. How the story has been portrayed and potential agendas
Coverage ranges from alarmist headlines about a “police state” to measured institutional concern; tabloid and activist pieces amplify the scale and civil‑liberties threat while parliamentary questions and human‑rights groups use the same numbers to argue for reform of outdated laws [5] [2] [3]. Conversely, police and some local forces emphasise that the statutes apply to harmful communications beyond mere opinion, including cases tied to domestic abuse or public-order offences, an important caveat noted by forces cited in parliamentary analysis [4].
6. Recent episodes and public debate that shaped the reporting
High-profile incidents such as arrests tied to riot-related posts or alleged misinformation have driven media attention and government comment, with journalists noting instances where around 30 people were arrested in specific episodes of disorder — a scale that reinforced the “30 a day” framing but does not by itself justify extrapolation to long-term national totals without the broader custody dataset [8] [2].
7. Bottom line (what can confidently be said)
Based on the custody dataset reported to and summarised by major outlets and watchdogs in 2025, the best-available, repeatedly cited figure is roughly 12,000 arrests in 2023 for communications offences that include social media posts — about 30–33 a day — but that number must be read with caution because of varying definitions, recording practices, non-responding forces and the fact that many arrests do not result in prosecution or imprisonment [1] [2] [5] [3] [6].