New polling has found that four in five (84%) of UK adults are concerned about seeing harmful content such as racism, misogyny, homophobia, and content that encourages self-harm.

Two in five (38%) of survey respondents reported seeing some form of this content within the last month, with seven in ten adults (68%) saying social media companies should do more to protect people online.

Around four in five adults (78%) want social media companies to be clear about what sort of content is and isn’t allowed on their platform.

In a stark warning, 45% of respondents also said they will leave or reduce the amount of time they spend on social platforms if they see no action to tackle online harms.

The survey found that women have high levels of concern about legal but harmful content, with 45% feeling unsafe when talking to people on dating or messaging apps. Most women (65%) agreed there should be limits to the types of content people can post online.

Additionally, almost half (47%) of those living in households with at least one child report having seen abusive content in the last month.

Commenting on the poll, Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Online abuse has a devastating impact on people’s lives, and these findings definitively show the public back our plans which will force social media companies to step up in keeping their users safe.

“It is clear people across the UK are worried about this issue, and as our landmark Online Safety Bill reaches the next crucial stage in Parliament, we’re a big step closer to holding tech giants to account and making the internet safer for everyone in our country.”

The poll comes as the Online Safety Bill moves to Report Stage in Parliament. The Bill was introduced to help protect children, tackle illegal content, and protect free speech online, as well as requiring social media platforms to uphold their stated terms and conditions.

Regulator Ofcom will be given powers to fine companies up to 10% of their annual global turnover if they fail to fulfil their responsibilities or block non-compliant sites

When the Bill comes into force, firms will be required to identify and implement solutions to protect their users. Firms hosting content that is harmful to children such as pornography, will have to prevent them from accessing it, for example by using age verification.

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Social media platforms will also be required to safeguard people’s free speech, and their access to journalism and content that is democratically important.

Despite public opinion and amendments to the Bill, previous concerns have been raised about the effectiveness of some of the provisions for the sharing of “insidious” images of child abuse and violence against women.

In January, the Commons Culture Committee said the government’s proposed legislation is not robust enough and warned that images of violence and abuse could still be circulated online through “breadcrumbing” – where images are edited to avoid moderation.

Previous research from Ofcom found that two thirds of teens and young adults encountered a damaging piece of content – but only one in six go on to report them, hindering efforts to tackle online harms.

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