After Caroline Flack was found dead on Saturday February 15, the general public and celebrities have been sending the message for everyone to ‘be kind.’
In the aftermath of this, Geordie Shore stars Nathan Henry and Sophie Kasaei have been widely criticised for releasing a TikTok video onto social media joking about suicide.
The video was swiftly removed and both stars issued public apologies. Sophie also added that she wanted people to stop trolling her saying, “people who are now calling me names and preaching about trolling etc are then now trolling me.”
We spoke with Student Union Wellbeing Presidential nominee, Keith Bays about trolling.
University of Sunderland Senior Lecturer Dr Sardar Jaf, who recently carried out an analysis of offensive tweets directed at Meghan Markle with other academics, also said: “The kinds of online messages that are classed as “trolling” are those that spark quarrels or deliberately offend, provoke or distress targeted individuals or groups of people. It is an offence to send any message of letter, whether in electronic or printed format, with intent to cause ‘distress or anxiety’ to other people.
“People who breach those regulations would be liable for criminal damages; they could either face fines or a prison sentence of between six months to two years.”