UK culture minister quits X over ‘abuse and misinformation’

play Live Sign upShow navigation menu.css-15ru6p1{font-size:inherit;font-weight:normal;}Navigation menuNewsShow more news sectionsAfricaAsiaUS & CanadaLatin AmericaEuropeAsia PacificWorld CupMiddle EastExplainedOpinionVideoMoreShow more sectionsFeaturesEconomySportHuman RightsClimate CrisisInvestigationsInteractivesIn PicturesScience & TechnologyPodcastsTravelSponsored Contentplay Live Click here to searchsearchSign upNavigation menucaret-leftTrendingUS-Israel war on IranWorld Cup 2026Tracking Israel's ceasefire violationsDonald Trumpcaret-rightNews|Social MediaUK culture minister quits X over ‘abuse and misinformation’UK Department of Culture, Media and Sport will also stop using social media platform. xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogleAdd Al Jazeera on GoogleinfoThe UK's Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Lisa Nandy arrives to a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 4, 2025 [File: Henry Nicholls/AFP]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 2 Jul 20262 Jul 2026The United Kingom’s Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has quit X, accusing the social media platform of promoting “abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate”. Nandy previously raised concerns about online safety and the spread of misinformation on the platform. In a post on X on Thursday, she announced the Department of Culture, Media and Sport will also be exiting the platform, which she added “isn’t healthy for our democracy or our communities”. There was no immediate comment from X. The DCMS is the second UK government department to stop using X after the Attorney General’s Office, which stopped using the platform last month. The attorney general defended his decision to ban his office from posting on X, telling MPs it “constantly descends to racism and misogyny”. Nandy says she will remain active on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Critics in the UK, the US, and other countries have accused Elon Musk, the owner of X, of removing controls designed to prevent misinformation, discrimination, and harassment. Some say that since Musk took ownership of Twitter in 2022, and rebranded it as X, the platform has promoted extremist material and a “toxic” online culture that whips up “division”. This led many news outlets, celebrities and organisations to withdraw from X. Nandy’s announcement comes as Musk’s platform faces growing regulatory scrutiny and political pressure in the UK and elsewhere ⁠over concerns about online safety, misinformation and AI-generated content. In January, the UK’s media regulator, Ofcom, opened an investigation into X over concerns that its Grok AI chatbot was being used to create and share illegal nonconsensual intimate images, including content involving minors. Prime Minister Keir Starmer described some of ⁠the images as “disgusting” and “unlawful”, while ministers said platforms had a duty to protect users from harmful content. Last month, Starmer unveiled a social media ban for under-16s which he said would give youngsters back their childhood. Musk has repeatedly ‌criticised the UK’s approach to online regulation, arguing that measures – including the Online Safety Act, passed in October 2023 – risk restricting free speech. Advertisement AboutAboutShow moreAbout UsCode of EthicsTerms and ConditionsEU/EEA Regulatory NoticePrivacy PolicyCookie PolicyCookie PreferencesAccessibility StatementSitemapWork for usConnectConnectShow moreContact UsUser Accounts HelpAdvertise with usStay ConnectedNewslettersChannel FinderTV SchedulePodcastsSubmit a TipPaid Partner ContentOur ChannelsOur ChannelsShow moreAl Jazeera ArabicAl Jazeera EnglishAl Jazeera Investigative UnitAl Jazeera MubasherAl Jazeera DocumentaryAl Jazeera BalkansAJ+Our NetworkOur NetworkShow moreAl Jazeera Centre for StudiesAl Jazeera Media InstituteLearn ArabicAl Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human RightsAl Jazeera ForumAl Jazeera Hotel PartnersFollow Al Jazeera English: