Katie Price vows she ‘won’t give up’ in her campaign to make online bullying a crime

Katie Price has vowed she ‘won’t give up’ in her campaign to make online bullying a crime after receiving over 100,000 signatures for her Track A Troll campaign.

The former glamour model, 42, has been asking for a change in legislation that will require all social media platforms to ask users for ID after her disabled son Harvey, 18, became the victim of online trolling.

In a piece for The Independent Katie insisted she’ll do ‘whatever it takes’ to get her campaign through Parliament.

Katie wrote that she understands concerns from some that required ID for social media users could ‘out’ members of the LGBTQ+ community or those with a criminal history.

The star insisted her law would mean users’ accounts can be tracked through the IP address, allowing police to put a stop to online abuse, and they wouldn’t need to share any other personal information.

Katie’s petition has been backed by several stars and MP Andrew Griffith, and after reaching 100,00 signatures will now be debated in Parliament.

She wrote: ‘I’ve seen Harvey mocked and belittled since he was a small boy, because of his disabilities, and because of his race.

‘Now that he’s 18, he understands that the treatment he receives from strangers is cruel and unfair. He’s said it himself: ”People are horrible to me.” As a mother, that breaks my heart.

‘Once I get my teeth stuck into something, that’s it – there’s no giving up. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to lead the charge for kindness.’ 

On Monday Katie also revealed her plans to attend court and face her son Harvey’s online bullies while discussing her Track A Troll campaign on BBC News. 

The mother-of-five, whose 18-year-old son is blind and has Prader-Willi syndrome and ADHD, previously said she was ‘over the moon’ as police moved to prosecute a troll who shared a racist blackface video while mocking her disabled son. 

And now, she is asking for a change in legislation, requiring all social media platforms to ask users for ID in hopes of reducing online hate.

Katie said: ‘I would love to say what kind of abuse Harvey gets, but I wouldn’t say it because it’s so horrific to say, but when you read it, it should be treated the same as how you say it. 

‘If I verbally said these words I would get arrested, so it should have the same affect, just because it’s written down. 

‘I do know three people have been arrested, the ones I was looking for, for Harvey. A couple in Aberdeen and some of the national newspapers ran their faces. And the person who actually retweeted it has been charged with Malicious Communications.’ 

Katie confirmed that the police contacted her to let her know they had made an arrest.   

A statement from a representative for Sussex Police in January said: ‘A 52-year-old man from St Leonards, arrested on suspicion of sending by public communication network an offensive / indecent / obscene / menacing message, remains released under investigation, pending further enquiries.’ 

The man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested in November for sharing a video featuring a couple appearing to mock Katie’s son Harvey with the use of blackface. 

Discussing the bullies on BBC News, Katie continued: ‘I said I will attend court because I want to face these people myself and just to show that something can be done. But we still need to tighten up the system. 

‘This doesn’t happen with everyone’s case and I would say if anyone out there is being trolled, just document everything you can so you’ve got that case and then go to the police with it. There’s no point retaliating back, because if you do, you end up being just as bad as them.’   

Katie has been campaigning for Harvey’s Law – legislation which would make it illegal to troll or abuse others online and would put offenders on a register. 

She has also launched a new initiative, called Track A Troll, as she discussed her petition to make verified ID a legal requirement for anyone opening a social media account.   

Like all petitions, Katie needs 100,000 signatures for this to be debated in Parliament. She believes if Track a Troll were to be passed as a law by Parliament, it would force the social media houses to comply. 

The former glamour model said: ‘[I’m] Always trying to find these people who make all these comments, not just about Harvey, about anybody, if you report them, they shut them down and they reopen again. 

‘Now by you using this Track A Troll which is the petition that I want to do, you have to have ID and if you’re under 18, you have to have a parent or guardian, their ID. 

‘So, if you do troll, if you do anything like that and say things that you know you shouldn’t be saying, you can easily be tracked. 

‘Because, people have to remember, what you write could affect someone and there’s people committing suicide, there’s a hell of a lot more in this past lockdown, and the past two years, it’s gone up and up and up.’

Katie vented her frustrations towards social media conglomerates due to their lack of action.

She said: ‘It’s just a simple thing, I don’t understand why these social medias don’t do it or won’t do it. I know we’re all matter of fact with what we say and I know we all like to have a joke. 

‘And unfortunately with these sites, people like it when they retweet them because they get more followers, this and that, and it’s better for the site. 

‘But if they really look at it, the amount of deaths, the mental health caused by it, is it really necessary to make these comments? 

‘These comments are harsh, they’re racial, you get death threats, there are all sorts of things and if people want to argue and say they’re acceptable to do, you don’t need ID for that, then something must be done. It’s a no brainer!’

Katie proceeded to reflect on why social media sites have been hesitant to enforce any new rules to track the identity of their users.

She continued: ‘The people running these social medias, I bet if it was someone close to them or there other half’s or child committed suicide because they were being trolled online, then they would think differently. 

‘Because they would be like “oh my god,” if this was in place this might not have happened. It is always the way, until something happens to them, people don’t react.  

‘I am reacting, because I’m not just protecting my son, I want to protect everyone out there. Someone gets trolled, there’s some kind of way, but we all know when we’re pushing the line.’