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We want to hear from you: please tell us about your experience of the online community.

Have you been affected by online abuse in any way?

Alex

The Petitions Committee is investigating online abuse, particularly focusing on the experience of disabled people online.

Over 221,914 people signed a petition calling on the Government to “make online abuse a specific criminal offence and create a register of offenders”. This petition was started by Katie Price, who is particularly concerned with the abuse directed at her disabled son, Harvey.

The Petitions Committee are interested in first-hand accounts of disabled people’s experience of social media.

They would like to know:

How important is social media to you?
Have you been affected by online abuse in any way?
Do you think online abuse is a particular problem for disabled people?
Have you tried reporting any online abuse to a social media company or the police?

Your comments will inform the debate and the Committee’s recommendations to the Government. They will help the Committee to understand the problem and who it affects.

Your name, and any information or opinions you provide, may be used in a Parliamentary debate which will be on the record and available on Parliament TV and Hansard. If you would like your experiences to be anonymised please clearly state that in your comment. Please ensure that you are happy with your comment before sharing.

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Comments

kevin

Some people use the Internet to give abuse to disabled people and destroy thier lives. I find them disgusting and very sick

[Deleted User]

I have been abused by someone on your discussion page it is not my thought that the person could not answer all the other responses was fine you are all that is wrong with charities preach but don't understand

Geoark

@tonyarthur322 I did notice your post was closed without receiving a reply.

In most areas those of employable age on benefits pay 20% of their council tax. See https://www.turn2us.org.uk/About-Us/Our-Campaigns/Benefits-Aware-Campaign/Your-questions-answered/Do-I-have-to-pay-Council-Tax-if-I-claim-benefit

[Deleted User]

I was trying to say that it is wrong that we pay council tax I did not know it was a thing other areas do gov pay us council take and council moans about gov cutbacks to the them as all areas pay different council tax it is a unfair process

nickyban

We should still pay some Council Tax as they provide vital services and this country is in debt up to its eyeballs already. Just because we are disabled doesnt mean we cant be working or valued members of society!

feir

How important is social media to you?
it's very important to me. it's where most of my support is as real world support is lacking and i have zero help with mobility even if it existed for me anyway.

Have you been affected by online abuse in any way?

no. but i do not reveal my disabled status unless i feel the place is safe to do so. i am very aware that by being disabled i am vulnerable.

Do you think online abuse is a particular problem for disabled people?
i think there is very little understanding for disabled people. this is partially understandable because there are a lot of disabilities and even the same disability one person has might not affect someone else the same way. but i definitely find many people are ignorant towards disabled peoples issues and are more intended to be unsupportive of them than care for their welfare.

i think the media also has done damage to disabled people with their constant stories about disabled people being fakes and claiming benefits for that but i noticed that stopped once others started to make comments about how not all claimants are frauds and how some disabilities are invisible and reasonable debate replaced stigmatisation of the disabled. but the damage has been done all the same and i don't understand why no media was prosecuted for this?

Have you tried reporting any online abuse to a social media company or the police?

no, but i have not had to deal with abuse. the police round here are good at dealing with online harrassment though, an able bodied neighbour had to deal with that and it got sorted and the harrasser did get prosecuted.

Alex

Hi everyone,

Thank you to everyone who has posted. The Committee has been hearing from disabled people and other experts over the past few weeks. Listening to disabled people’s experiences has been moving and hugely informative. They’ll keep listening and learning about online abuse and the experience of disabled people over the next couple of months. We’ll post here again to let you know what happens and what recommendations the Committee makes to Government. Thanks again for taking the time to get involved. If there’s anything else you’d like to say, you can email the Committee at petitionsteam@parliament.uk