Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have conducted on the influence of violent media material on the behaviours of young men in large UK cities; and what steps they are taking to monitor and address it.

In the Serious Violence Strategy, published on 9 April 2018, the Government sets out our analysis of the trends and drivers in serious violence and this includes the role that social media plays. That analysis shows that social media has created an opportunity for rivals to antagonise each other, and for those taunts to be viewed by a much larger audience for a much longer time period. This may lead to cycles of tit-for-tat violence.

We are working with social media companies and law enforcement agencies to take preventative action to address the availability of such violent gang related material available via social media.