Nadine Dorries told social media firms to act now before the Online Safety Bill appears before MPs early in 2022.
Her remarks came after Labour’s Richard Burgon highlighted the case of Joe Nihill, a 23-year-old former Army cadet from Whinmoor, Leeds, who “took his own life after accessing so-called suicide forums”.
Burgon, the Leeds East MP, praised Nihill’s family for running an “inspirational campaign” to ensure others do not experience similar tragedy, adding a “firm message” needs to be sent to the tech giants that “they will now have to take action to remove these suicide forums which prey on vulnerable people”.
Dorries replied in the Commons: “Those online platforms, those online giants, they have the ability right now today to remove those harmful algorithms that do direct children and young people to suicide chatrooms.
“I call upon them to start that work now because if they don’t, this Bill will be here in the new year and they will then be subject...