U.K. Pushes Google, Facebook to Tackle Harmful Online Content

(Bloomberg) -- The U.K. government is asking Alphabet Inc.’s Google, Facebook Inc. and Snapchat Inc. to commit to dealing with online content surrounding self-harm and suicide.

“I want the U.K. to be the safest place to be online and give parents the confidence to know their children are safe when they use social media,” Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in a statement Monday. “The government will legislate to tackle harmful content online -- but we will also work with social media companies to act now.”

Hancock will also ask companies to weed out anti-vaccination messages online, the statement said. It has teamed up with the Samaritans charity in a campaign to clamp down on harmful messages on the internet.

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Swint in London at bswint@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Fergal O'Brien at fobrien@bloomberg.net, Virginia Van Natta

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