UK minister urges social media firms to remove dangerous driving videos

UK minister urges social media firms to remove dangerous driving videosImage source, ReutersByAlex SmithPublished24 August 2026, 10:42 BSTUpdated 1 hour agoDefence Minister Luke Pollard has called on social media companies to remove posts celebrating dangerous driving, after a viral trend showing people going the wrong way down roads.Pollard told BBC Breakfast on Monday: "Social media companies could take that down today, adjust their algorithms so it's not celebrated."Two police officers died when a car going the wrong way down a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle near Middlesbrough on Saturday. The five passengers in the other car were also killed. A TikTok account believed to belong to one of the five passengers, 18-year-old Makai Saddington, shared videos appearing to show dangerous driving, which have since been removed.Image source, Cleveland PoliceImage caption, PC Tom Clough (left) and PC Matthew Blades were killed in a crash when a car travelling the wrong way down a dual carriageway crashed into their vehicle on SaturdayPollard said the government had "already taken steps" to tell social media companies to take down such content.He added: "They know exactly what content is on their site, they know how their algorithm works."They also know that people post content to get views and the more views you get, sometimes you get money for it, so it's a financial incentive to post outrageous content that gets more people watching it."TikTok said its policies prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm, including dangerous driving.It added that it is actively removing videos and accounts that break the rules, including the account believed to belong to Saddington.The company said between January and March 2026, 99.8% of the content removed for violating those policies it took down proactively.The BBC has also contacted Meta and X for comment.Image source, Social mediaImage caption, Jacob Matusiak,...