Seven in ten say social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook are falling to tackle spread of extremist material and bullying on their sites

  • Damning study confirms the damage done to the reputation of social networks  
  • Fewer than one in four trust social media, Edelman Trust Barometer study found
  • Seven in ten say social media giants don’t do enough to tackle illegal or unethical behaviour 

The vast majority of the public believes social media companies are failing to tackle illegal activity, the spread of extremist content and bullying on their sites, a poll has found.

A damning study confirms the damage done to the reputation of firms such as Facebook and Twitter by revelations about what they allow on their sites.

Fewer than one in four people trust social media and reveals widespread demand for tougher regulation, the survey by Edelman Trust Barometer found.

The vast majority of the public believes social media companies are failing to tackle illegal activity, a study has found

The vast majority of the public believes social media companies are failing to tackle illegal activity, a study has found

Seven in ten of those questioned say the US social media giants don’t do enough to tackle illegal or unethical behaviour.

The same proportion say they aren’t preventing extremist content being shared between users or doing enough to tackle bullying.

Demands for tougher regulation are backed by 64 per cent of the public and the same proportion say such firms aren’t transparent enough about their activities.

More than six in ten say such firms are selling people’s data without their knowledge.

Around one third (34 per cent) do not think social media is a force for good in society.

Ed Williams, chief executive officer of Edelman UK, the marketing and public relations firm, said: ‘After a flood of negative headlines in 2017, it’s time these companies sat up and listened.

Seven in ten people say social media giants aren¿t doing enough to tackle bullying. File photo

Seven in ten people say social media giants aren’t doing enough to tackle bullying. File photo

‘The public want action on key issues related to online protection, and to see their concerns addressed through better regulation.

‘Failure on their part to act risks further erosion of trust and therefore public support.’

Facebook, Twitter and other online giants have faced intense criticism from MPs over their failure to remove hate material from their sites.

They have also been accused of failing both to remove fake news and to assist police investigations.

More than 33,000 respondents took part in 30-minute online interviews from October 28 to November 20, 2017.