UK government tells TikTok to remove videos glorifying dangerous driving

The British government has called on TikTok and other social media companies to remove videos that celebrate dangerous driving, following a crash that killed two police officers and five young men.

The collision occurred on Saturday in northeastern England when a Volkswagen, travelling on the wrong side of the road, struck a police vehicle. Officers Matthew Blades and Tom Clough died at the scene, as did the five occupants of the Volkswagen — three boys aged 17 and 18, and two men aged 23.

The incident has intensified scrutiny of online content that appears to encourage reckless driving. British media reports suggest that one of the people who died in the Volkswagen may have previously posted such a video.

Defence Minister Luke Pollard said the government has told social media platforms to "step up" and remove what he called "awful content." He noted that platforms have argued they can police themselves, and said this is an opportunity to demonstrate that.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham's office described the glorification of dangerous driving for entertainment as "utterly disgraceful" and said the media regulator has full government backing to take action against platforms that fail to meet their legal duties.

TikTok did not comment directly but said its policies strictly prohibit content that could cause significant physical harm.

Police said the Volkswagen had a cloned number plate to avoid detection, and 12 people were arrested on Monday in connection with suspected criminal activity, including possession of a firearm, before the crash.

Separately, four people, including a child, were seriously injured in a similar wrong-way crash in County Kildare, Ireland, last week. Five teenagers in the other vehicle died. An Irish parliamentary committee invited TikTok to discuss its handling of content that glorifies illegal activity, but the company declined to attend.