Twitter has historically had problems with controlling abuse online and struggles at times to hold onto users, who decide to abandon the platform for alternatives – along with many others that are dissuaded from joining due to the harsh treatment they may receive.

But now there is a vocalised intention to overcome this situation by making it more costly for social networks than purely losing followers if they cannot control abuse. A group of MPs are proposing fines of up to £2 million for social channels that can’t curb online harassment.

The proposal is part of the “Malicious Communications (Social Media) Bill“, a private member’s bill introduced by Labour MP Anna Turley. It proposes a register of social media companies operating in the UK that would be determined by the culture secretary, currently Karen Bradley, and regulated by Ofcom, the UK’s communications watchdog.

According to the bill, regulated social media firms would need “reasonable means to prevent threatening content from being received” by British users. Meaning that Twitter and other social media platforms would automatically need to filter for abuse, unless users had requested unfiltered content and are over the age of 18. No coincidence perhaps that Twitter is currently taking action against ‘low quality tweets’ ie. abuse. Any company failing to comply could be fined up to £2 million or 5% of their global turnover.

If passed into law, the rules would also affect Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram. As of yet it isn’t clear whether private messaging apps like WhatsApp would also need regulation, though it is a possibility if the bill goes ahead.

Of course, it is possible that the proposed bill will never become law as private member’s bills do not always make it through the initial legislation phases. But they do at least serve as  a way for MPs to highlight certain issues, with social media clearly at the forefront of their objectives.

The current bill is notably sponsored by several female MPs who have spoken out about online abuse, such as Jess Philips and Ruth Smeeth, both of whom have received death threats on social media.

It is easy to see why such a proposal could garner preliminary support, though it will be interesting to see if anything does come into force that can have a positive impact on the lives of those merely trying to connect with others meaningfully online.