Criminology In The News: Campaigns for Change in Social Media Use

Following the sentencing of Eddie Ratcliffe and Scarlett Jenkinson, for the murder of Brianna Ghey in February 2023, attention has turned to a campaign for change, started by Brianna’s mother Esther Ghey.

Esther Ghey is calling for stricter controls on social media access for under-16s in the wake of her daughter’s murder and the influence of social media on her daughter’s two killers. Ratcliffe and Jenkinson had both been found to have accessed violent content and constructed a ‘kill list’ of several teenagers, before murdering Brianna. However, it is not just the influence on her daughter’s killers that Esther Ghey is concerned with, stating that she consistently had arguments with her daughter and the social media content she was accessing on her mobile phone.

Esther Ghey singled out the use of X (formerly Twitter) and the lack of regulation over some of the content that her daughter was able to access, including pro-anorexia influencers. Furthermore, both Brianna and her mother were subject to transphobic abuse on the platform, and now Esther Ghey is working to change the law to restrict access to social media for those under the age of 16.

The case brings about many elements that students will have studied during their work in Unit 1 and Unit 3 looking at campaigns for change and their impacts on policy. There are questions for you to answer below, and the articles are great for looking at concepts featured on your course.

Read more about the case from these articles in the Guardian (12/2/24) and answer the questions that follow:

https://www.theguardian.com/me...

https://www.theguardian.com/me...

1. What type of campaign for change is Esther Ghey engaged in? What specific changes would she like to see?
2. What reasons has Esther Ghey given for the formation of her campaign?
3. In speaking to the Guardian about her campaign, Esther Ghey is using one method of getting her campaign message out. Suggest other ways in which her campaign message may be heard.
4. Briefly outline the events that have led to Esther Ghey starting the campaign for change.
5. Who is the target audience of the campaign? What reasons might people have for opposing the campaign?
6. Who does Esther Ghey want to take action? Which other figures might become involved in this case to help the campaign achieve its objectives?