Ruth attacks cyberbullies who call her a ‘fat Tory’
THE leader of the Scottish Conservatives says she is regularly attacked by online bullies and has called for better protection for youngsters on social media.
Ruth Davidson said she is frequently trolled, but only hits back when she receives homophobic insults because ‘that sort of thing is not OK’.
She warned youngsters are being ‘heckled and degraded’ on social media and feared girls were feeling ‘overwhelmingly judged’ on their looks.
Miss Davidson, who is engaged to partner Jennifer Wilson, was speaking at a conference of experts aimed at improving youngsters’ mental health through social media.
The online platform Twitter, which was represented, has agreed to promote campaigns raising awareness of mental health issues.
Speaking about her own experience of social media, Miss Davidson said: ‘People call me fat, ugly, Tory every day. But every now and then I push back on the homophobic insults because that sort of thing is not OK.
‘It matters to me to be able to use my position to stand up and say that’s not acceptable.
‘We need to understand how ubiquitous social media is for some people. It affects their health and mental health.’
Miss Davidson called for ‘tougher criminal guidance’ on the types of offences that can occur on social media to allow prosecutors to tackle online bullies’.
She said social media platforms must recognise that ‘free speech for some can carry a cost to others’, adding: ‘Transparent rules for engagement and clear penalties – including having accounts suspended – must be outlined so everyone knows where they stand.’
Twitter is giving free advertising to new campaigns aimed at highlighting mental health issues. Nick Pickles, its head of public policy in the UK, said: ‘We’ll be supporting carefully targeted campaigns to test different messages. Twitter is a way to reach millions of people who might not know where to turn or that there are other people who feel like they do.’
Scotland’s Mental Health Minister Maureen Watt said: ‘The Scottish Government is committed to making the internet a safer place. We want [young people] to stay in control and know who to go to if they are at risk.’