Petitions/Ban engagement-driven algorithms that push provocative content on social media
StatusOngoing
Opened20 Mar 2026
Closes
Government response
Parliamentary debateNot eligible
Milestones

Introduce laws to severely limit engagement-driven algorithms that push emotionally provocative news and political content. Require simple, non-algorithmic or chronological feeds by default, and give users a clear option to turn off behaviour-influencing content ranking.

In the past, people chose when to watch the news. Today, social media places a permanent stream of news, arguments and outrage in our pockets, driven by algorithms designed to trigger emotional responses. These systems use the same psychological techniques once used in advertising to sell products, but now apply them continuously to beliefs, emotions and identity. We believe that this constant exposure is harming mental health, increasing division, and affecting how people think and vote, without meaningful consent or an off switch.

10,000
100,000

Constituency engagement ranking

Olivia Blake
1Olivia Blake MP
Sheffield Hallam
6
Dan Jarvis
2Dan Jarvis MP
Barnsley North
5
Stephanie Peacock
3Stephanie Peacock MP
Barnsley South
5
Dr Marie Tidball
4Dr Marie Tidball MP
Penistone and Stocksbridge
5
Abtisam Mohamed
5Abtisam Mohamed MP
Sheffield Central
3
Max Wilkinson
6Max Wilkinson MP
Cheltenham
2
Mr Toby Perkins
7Mr Toby Perkins MP
Chesterfield
2
Lee Pitcher
8Lee Pitcher MP
Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme
2
Dr Neil Hudson
9Dr Neil Hudson MP
Epping Forest
2
Jake Richards
10Jake Richards MP
Rother Valley
2