SNP Members Demand Review of X Use
Party conference passes resolution for 'responsible use of social media,' urging government and Holyrood to exit platform.
Callum Smith
SNP members at the party’s annual conference in Aberdeen overwhelmingly passed a resolution stressing the need for “responsible use of social media.”
A recent motion demanded elected representatives, councils, the Scottish Government, and other public bodies cease using "harmful platforms that harbour abusive content."
This directive emerges despite the SNP's substantial presence on X. The party commands almost 320,000 followers and issues regular updates, including many from its own conference.
SNP member Erin Lux challenged the party's continued engagement. She asked, "Why on earth are we continuing to post there?" Lux argued, "There are so many reasons we need to remove ourselves and our services from this platform."
It is indefensible we are lending our credibility as a party, and the credibility of our elected officials to a site that has become a hotbed of misinformation and abuse.
Lux asserted that X and its artificial intelligence chatbot Grok "continue to host and produce child sexual abuse material." She also claimed X is a "hotbed of mis- and disinformation" and that platform usage had "shifted views rightwards."
She concluded, "It is indefensible we are lending our credibility as a party, and the credibility of our elected officials to a site that has become a hotbed of misinformation and abuse."
Conversely, fellow SNP member David Birkett opposed a ban. He highlighted X's massive user base of 551 million active monthly users, dwarfing Bluesky's 10.4 million.
Birkett also stressed X's practical utility. It informs travelers about transport delays and disruptions.
"I also believe in treating party bodies, candidates and elected members like grown-ups, who can make their own assessment of which platforms they choose to join without some edict," Birkett stated.
He added, "Maybe one day Bluesky and others will have the reach that X does and we can rethink this. But until it does, we should keep the party, the Government, the Parliament and other public bodies on the platform."
An SNP spokesperson confirmed the party's next steps. "As per the motion passed by conference, we will review our use of X and report to the party’s national executive."