Politics Home Article | Bans alone won’t tackle online harm, Manchester experts tell ministers

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The rapidly evolving digital landscape is a pressing topic for policymakers – from the threats posed by online misogyny to the growing tide of conspiracy theories and misinformation.

Now, a new report produced by Policy@Manchester, the University of Manchester’s policy engagement unit, has highlighted the plethora of challenges that today’s decision makers need to address.

The report, Digital Truths, features expert analysis and research-led recommendations from University of Manchester experts. It puts six specific areas under the spotlight, including the challenge of protecting young people from harm while empowering them with the skills to navigate the digital world safely and the need to strengthen our approaches to countering misogyny and male supremacism.

Writing in the report’s foreword, Professor Cecilia Wong, Professor of Spatial Planning at the University of Manchester and Policy@Manchester’s Co-Director, says: “As policymakers review the merits of minimum age use for social media access and the threats posed by conspiracy theories and misinformation, it is especially important to balance viewpoints and engage with the positive aspects of moderation, online support and critical awareness.

“Policymakers and regulators face multiple challenges and it is crucial that rigorous evidence is up to date and available, whether they are considering problematic, unwanted content, tackling forms of extremism or assessing the impacts of social media use for children and young people.”

With almost one in five young people in the UK experiencing mental health difficulties and increased pressure on stretched support services, the report calls for the development of “positive virtual ecosystems” – safe online platforms for support and learning that work in tandem with human relationships and professional practice.  

In the report’s first article, Professor Terry Hanley outlines three specific recommendations for policymakers, all aimed at embedding media literacy in schools and developing regulatory standards that distinguish trusted services from unregulated or harmful content.

He stresses the need for the Online Safety Act to differentiate between research-informed, moderated platforms (such as Kooth, the free and completely anonymous digital mental health and wellbeing platform, and other NHS-backed resources) and unregulated apps and forums that spread misinformation.

Rather than a blanket ban on smartphones, he believes schools should equip young people with the skills to evaluate online content, recognise reliable resources and understand the mental health and wellbeing options open to them. He also points out that investment should focus on connecting online tools with local mental health provision, thereby ensuring a smooth transition between digital and in-person care.

Meanwhile, Dr Ashley Matthias warns that efforts to tackle misogyny and male supremacism have previously focused on top-down approaches, often shaped by government initiatives for preventing and countering extremism.

She argues that far more could be done to address “the amplification of polluted information and disallowed content”. Her recommendations include expanding media literacy programmes, holding platforms accountable to national policies and their own terms of service, prioritising ways to enforce transparency around algorithm design and use and rejecting the view that social media platforms are “a digital public square” when in fact they are private businesses.

Responding to the report, a Department for Education spokesperson told PoliticsHome that the government is committed to tackling violence against women and girls and to supporting teachers to recognise signs of incel ideologies. 

“Misogynistic views are not innate, they are learned,” they said. “We are committed to using every possible tool to achieve our mission of halving violence against women and girls. 

“Our updated RSHE guidance is designed to make sure all young people can identify positive role models, and we are providing resources to support teachers to recognise the signs of incel ideologies, including through the Educate Against Hate programme. 

“Alongside this, we are taking action to ensure that children have a healthy relationship with phones and social media – including ensuring every child learns to identify mis and disinformation as part of the revitalised curriculum, making our mobile phones in schools guidance statutory and launching a call for evidence on children’s screen use at home and in school.” 

Meanwhile Jess Asato, Labour MP for Lowestoft, spoke of her decision to launch legal proceedings against Elon Musk’s xAI company. 

“Misogyny in politics is nothing new, but AI now supercharges it, allowing users to broadcast abuse and create degrading, non-consensual sexual images of women from simple prompts,” she said. “Combined with the immediacy of social media, this is creating a silencing effect on women and girls. 

“Tech companies’ inadequate responses have left thousands of women feeling vulnerable and violated. That’s why I have launched legal proceedings against xAI, so that women can reclaim their sense of safety online. It’s our body, so it should be our choice what is done to it.” 

“Silicon Valley’s ‘move fast and break things’ mantra wouldn’t stand in the offline world. Just as cars require seatbelts and airbags, digital technology must also be regulated to be safe by design.” 

In a third article, Dr Allysa Czerwinsky points out that misogynist and male supremacist content is of particular concern in today’s digital world. Suggested pathways for policymakers include tailoring campaigns to the concerns highlighted by manosphere forum users and endorsing partnerships with support-focused spaces to encourage human connections and make help accessible.

“These are interventions that can better shape counter-speech efforts at both local and national levels,” she writes. “Additionally, opportunities for peer-to-peer mentoring for boys and men at risk could be implemented as an avenue for support in Prevent strategies, as well as part of local authority approaches to addressing violence against women and girls.”

Professor Peter Knight looks at the problem of conspiracy theories and counter-disinformation in the UK, recommending bespoke strategies to tackle this, a deeper understanding of conspiracism’s social functions and reforms to the counter-disinformation ecosystem.  

“Conspiracy theories in the UK are not merely digital misinformation,” he writes. “They’re expressions of deeper social, political and historical dynamics.

“Effective counter-disinformation policy must move beyond reactive moderation and embrace a holistic, context-sensitive approach. By reforming regulatory frameworks, supporting grassroots counter-discourse and fostering trust in institutions, the UK can build resilience against conspiracist narratives and strengthen democratic communication.”

The final two articles focus on the importance of digital and information literacy in schools. Dr Drew Whitworth advises that today’s learners must develop a broader awareness of the impact of the online world on their work, relationships, mental and physical health and knowledge of the world in general.

Dr Margarita Panayiotou, Dr Jo Hickman-Dunne and Jade Davies are concerned that today’s school curriculum presents “a relatively narrow and deficit-based approach” of social media and young people’s lives. While the government’s recent Curriculum and Assessment Review calls for greater focus on media and digital literacy and the functions and limitations of AI, it does not mention social media – “despite this playing a central role in young people’s everyday digital lives and forming a key part of adult concerns.”

With this in mind, the authors recommend that the Department for Education expand the concepts of digital and media literacy outlined in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, launch a consultation about the content and delivery of media literacy lessons, and provide specific resources for teachers to support and encourage young people to have open and non-judgemental conversations about social media.

Caroline Voaden, the Liberal Democrats’ Schools Spokesperson, welcomed the report, particularly its emphasis on the importance of integrating digital literacy into children’s learning.

“This report lays bare the toxic cocktail of harmful content and misinformation that is so prevalent in the online spaces our young people use,” she said. “For them to be truly safe online, they need to be able to understand how to navigate and decipher this world, which is why embedding digital literacy in the curriculum from a young age is so crucial.  

“However, content is only half the battle. We also need to free our children and young people from the grip of big tech’s addictive-by-design platforms. This regulation is vital, but it must come hand-in-hand with a broader societal shift in how we safeguard our children’s digital lives.”

Matt Bishop, Chair of the Political and Media Literacy All-Party Parliamentary Group, believes that more needs to be done to equip young people with stronger media and digital literacy skills.  

“Policy should strengthen media and digital literacy in education, helping young people understand how online content affects their learning, relationships and wellbeing, not just their technical IT skills,” he said.

“This should be supported by regulation that distinguishes trusted services from harmful or unregulated content, alongside platform accountability and alternatives to algorithm-driven systems. Efforts to address online misogyny and disinformation should move beyond individual-focused approaches and include community dynamics, support networks and improved partnerships with help-focused spaces for young people.”

Read Digital Truths here.