Social media users could face up to two years in prison if they knowingly cause ‘psychological harm’ online, it has been reported.
New offences are set to be created by upcoming legislation called the Online Safety Bill.
In its current form, the bill would focus on threatening social media companies with fines of up to £18 million for failing to tackle abuse, but the changes could see individual users prosecuted at a much larger scale.
The new offences include ‘threatening communications’, which covers messages and posts where the author intends their victim to fear a threat will be carried out.
‘Knowingly false communications’ will cover messages users know to be false and are sent with the intention of causing ’emotional, psychological, or physical harm to the likely audience’.
Similar offences currently exist in law but convictions focus on whether the content contains ‘indecent’ or ‘grossly offensive’ material.
Ministers have now accepted recommendations from the Law Commission for the focus to be shifted onto the content’s ‘likely psychological harm’, the Sunday Times reports.
The culture secretary, Nadine Dorries, is said to be planning to add the offences to the bill next month.
Former Tory cabinet minister David Davies said the new legislation would be too subjective, while digital rights campaigners warned the offences were too broad.
Twitter has previously criticised the government for failing to clarify how content could be harmful but still legal.
A government spokesperson said: ‘We are making our laws fit for the digital age. Our comprehensive Online Safety Bill will make tech companies responsible for people’s safety.
‘We are carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations on strengthening criminal offences.’
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