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In May 2023, 18-year-old Bacari-Bronze O’Garro, better known online as ‘Mizzy’, shot to fame after filming himself walking into people’s houses, stealing a woman’s dog, riding a bike around a supermarket and doing similar ‘pranks’. Mizzy’s acts even found himself on Talk TV with Piers Morgan earlier this week, in which he boasted about the infamous videos he posted, despite these being in breach of a court order which had been imposed only a day earlier. Mizzy stated to Piers Morgan that UK laws were “weak” as his acts only garnered him a £365 fine, despite the heavy social media backlash which had followed his videos.  

The question from all of this is, if even the individuals who are committing these crimes think that the laws are “weak”, then what can we do to target those who aim to harm through social media? 

Social media is, and always has been, a breeding ground for anyone to post whatever content they like, both legal and illegal. Just through scrolling on my Twitter feed today, I’ve seen a post of someone boasting about smuggling drugs, someone trying to break into a car and many more which simply I cannot remember. Seeing illegal activity online has become so common that I’m immune from any shock after seeing such posts.  

What’s the plan?

The government's current plan to tackle illegal online content is through the Online Safety Bill. The bill currently sits in the committee stage in the House of Lords, with the current version being brought from the House of Commons on 18 January this year. The bill’s main aim is targeted at children, looking to quickly remove illegal content, enforce age checkers and provide better support for online issues. This is a key development as most of the fans of influencers, such as Mizzy, are young people who are more impressionable to such content. The bill includes a comprehensive section on tackling illegal content, making clear that the government believes illegal content should be removed before it even appears on a single individual’s feed. Age limits will also be enforced, with underage children being prohibited from signing up to social media sites. The bill does, however, indicate that the government will look to prosecute companies, rather than focusing on individuals. For example, the bill makes specific reference to Ofcom regulating and having the ability to prosecute platforms that don’t comply with the bill. Although this incentivises companies to take down this content, there’s no deterrent for individuals not to post illegal content. 

What now?

At current, there’s no legislation which tackles the posting of illegal content. Although the site which is used may choose to ban the individual, there’s nothing explicitly stopping that individual from simply creating a new account. Although the government is currently developing the Online Harms White Paper, which is in the process of making its way through the court. The paper itself seems vague and gives little to no specific detail on what exactly will happen to individuals who post illegal content online. 

The current law finds that the actions of individuals who aim to cause outrage online and harass others are worthy of a £365 fine, which includes an arguably insufficient £80 victim surcharge. All the while the current bills and white papers making their way through the legislation are reluctant to impose charges on individuals. This makes it unclear as to just how the government plans to tackle this ongoing and highly prevalent issue, which is crossing over from online into the real world. 

So, when we ask the question, 'What’s stopping them?’, unfortunately, there appears to be nothing tangible stopping those who aim to behave in this fashion now or in the near future.