Posts containing false facts/laws

[Thepigeonsarecoming]

There are a few posters who are continuously causing arguments on here and stating false “laws”

Why is nothing being done to warn/ban them, they are causing an upset to mental health as well as spreading false facts? @mumsnethq??

[AuntieStella]

It's probably better if you

a) post accurate, well sourced information on the threads is question
b) report posts which you think are deliberately goading/derailing etc

[Shitsgettingcrazy]

I have reported a thread and was told to hide it.

Despite the OP saying they had discovered their health condition meant they 'would die if the get covid'. They read it on Facebook and it was total bollocks. The OP had decided to shield. Que posters with the same condition getting worried. But MNHQ let it stand.

I dont think spreading fake news (wether the poster believes what they are saying or not) is against MN guidlines.

[MyOtherProfile]

There are a few posters who are continuously causing arguments on here and stating false “laws”
Can you give specific examples? Have you reported them?

[Shitsgettingcrazy]

@MyOtherProfile you can name posters

But in the last few weeks I have seen posters say the following

'Exercise can not be anything but walking or running'
'Exercise must be 30mins only'
'Renting a private dog park and driving a short distance to it is illegal'
'You cant buy luxuries in the supermarket's
'Taking time to pick up hair dye/socks/hot cross buns, as part of a supermarket shop isnt allowed. It's not essential'
'You cant have more than 1 person in a car'
'Children can not travel to their other parents house. That's illegal'
'Mild anemia means you will die if you get covid and you should be shielding'
'You are only allowed to travel to your nearest supermarket, no other. Its illegal'
'If you take your exercise every day, you are extending the lockdown'


That's off the top of my head, when I have already had one coffee.

And yes, I reported some of the more extreme, but mnhq let them stand as they dont break guidelines, apparantly.

[Shitsgettingcrazy]

You can't name posters.

[Monty27]

I'm fed up with it too. A friend of mine informed me today that lockdown is to continue until 2022

[daisychain01]

The best advice I've seen is to come off social media if it causes you anxiety and only use trusted sources of information like the BBC app, which is factual and not,sensationalist.

If you choose to read all the threads on here or on Twitter, Facebook etc, then you are seriously risking your MH and having anxiety attacks because so much of what is discussed is conjecture and people mixing up the facts with their interpretation and projecting their anxiety.

It can become another form of Corona virus: Highly contagious and harmful to people.

Note: I have not said "If you read all the threads on here, you only have yourself to blame" - another cause of anxiety is that people's posting style on here has become nasty, spiteful and cruel to people who are struggling. Ripping people to shreds and making harsh judgements about others, whose personal struggles you'll never truly know, has caused this site to become poisonous and not a nice place to be. This is fact!

[Gilead]

A friend of mine informed me today that lockdown is to continue until 2022

[Gilead]

Bugger! That should have had the added point that there is an ongoing discussion about lockdown continuing intermittently until 2022.

[Gfplux]

Posters should remember that journalists often write their and others opinions
Repeating someone’s opinion as fact is false news

[AmelieTaylor]

Irrespective of the Topic, this is a discussion site, it's not a site where the owner/employees post the whole of the content. MN staff are not in a position to decide what is, or isn't it fact about every single topic.

There are plenty of warnings on the site to say that posters are not vetted etc.

If you're old enough to post on chat sites/SM
You're old enough to know that

Weeks ago people were wanting our posts deleted for 'scaremongering' because we were talking about prepping for 'the Wuhan flu' coming here. Funnily enough most of those posters have name changed or buggered off.

Yes, some of the threads are tedious & yes some of them are sharing opinions as facts, but that's life on SM/discussion sites. That's why they teach children to determine the difference between fact & 'fake news' as adults you should be able to do that!

[CoughKeepsOnComing]

I posted something on here recently about number of CV deaths. I asked in the post 'is this accurate'? 'what figures did you get'? And someone kindly explained how I'd got the wrong figures. I was about to reply with a 'thanks, ah that makes sense now', when suddenly I saw the thread had been deleted

Apparantly there had been several complaints about the incorrect figures in my original post.

Honestly have some people got nothing better to do than complain about someone getting their figures wrong, when the original post made it clear I wasn't even sure if the figures were right, and asking people what figures they had??

I think some users on mumsnet are waaaaaaay too sensitive.

[MyOtherProfile]

@Shitsgettingcrazy there's some bat crazy people out there!

[Shitsgettingcrazy]

Honestly have some people got nothing better to do than complain about someone getting their figures wrong, when the original post made it clear I wasn't even sure if the figures were right, and asking people what figures they had?

That's completely different. Asking a question and stating something that is fact or written into law.

Whilst MN cant wade or decide what is fact.

They can wade in when people are posting ridiculous things like 'anemia means covid will kill you'. Social media companies, do have a responsibility to remove fake news.

How does it make sense they will delete someone asking a question about the figures, but not when someone is posting that anemia means you must shield and will die if you get covid?

That's why they teach children to determine the difference between fact & 'fake news' as adults you should be able to do that!

Well we can. That's why we notice is fake and bollocks. The people that cant are the people posting it.

You are missing a huge detail. Most adults can tell the difference. However, there are lots of reasons fake news may believed by some, including mental health issues.

It's all well and good saying 'well you dont have to read it'. No you dont. But they dont have to post it either. I have GAD and tbh, oddly, I am not that stressed or anxious about covid. But I can see why some people would get upset by it or believe it.

To suggest anyone who gets sucked in is a child or should just switch off shows a woeful lack of understanding of people and/or mental health issues.