Piers Morgan, Emily Atack and Amanda Holden back laws to jail internet trolls

CELEBRITIES were quick to back the laws against trolls.

Sun columnist Piers Morgan - who was recently forced to report a troll to the police following a death threat - leading the charge.

He said: "Vile social media trolls must be properly held accountable for the worst kind of abuse including death threats and threats of violence or harm.

"This should never be tolerated and it’s a problem that almost everyone in public life has to endure on a regular basis."

Actress and comedienne Emily Atack has been on the receiving end of such abuse.

She tells The Sun: "I've lost count of the number of times I've logged on and felt completely winded by what someone has written or sent directly to me."

"I've received countless levels of online abuse but increasingly, it has become very sexualised. I receive hundreds of sexually motivated messages - from rape threats, to men telling me exactly what they're going to do to me in the most brutal and misogynistic ways. I launched the #EndCyberflashing campaign alongside Grazia Magazine last year to make unwanted sexually explicit abuse a crime.

"So much more needs to be done to stop these vile abusers. They certainly wouldn't get away with saying these sort of things if they saw me on the street. There needs to be tougher penalties, the threat of prison needs to be enforced. Actual action needs to be taken if the online world is to become a safer one."

Last night Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman, who was the victim of trolling after her daughter was hurt in a horror Halloween accident, said:

"As things stand, trolls can hide behind fake accounts and issue the most horrific abuse without thinking about the effects these words can have.

"Only if there's the threat of a custodial sentence or/and proper punishment will this online abuse stop. I am fully supportive of the plans in place.”

Former Love Island star Zara McDermott, who announced she was quitting social media last year, also backed the news.

She said: “Online abuse affects everyone, no matter whether they have a public profile or not.

"The freedom especially to be able to mask your identity on social media has led to that being abused significantly, even more so in recent years.

"It has become easier and quicker to create a false social media profile than to make a cup of tea.

"Abuse is so easy to write, so easy to throw around and so easy to spread.

"We need to keep people safe online."

Former X Factor star Alexandra Burke has previously spoken out about the racist trolling she has had at the keyboard hands of faceless trolls.

She is also backing changes to the Bill, saying: "I was recently involved in a campaign with the Avast Foundation that revealed two-thirds of 16-24 year olds have engaged in online trolling, while a quarter of adults believe celebrities are 'fair game'.

"The abuse people get - be it the public eye or out of it - can have lasting psychological damage.

"I’ve been DM'd some horrific racial abuse over the years - it's terrifying people have been able to freely say these types of things. For every 100 lovely messages, it is the one nasty one that sticks in your mind.

Hopefully now, with this new government legislation, trolls will face consequences for their hurtful words online." A recent report showed that cyberbullying is also having a damaging effect on kids - again fuelled by recent lockdowns and no school.

Amanda Holden, who has two daughters, Lexi, 16, and Hollie, 10, hopes that a change to the law will help protect the next generation.

She says: "It is an ongoing battle trying to monitor children's screen times, and protect them from some of the awful things we are seeing more and more online.

"Kids today are getting mobile phones at primary school, and becoming active on social media. For me, it's a constant worry.

"It's almost impossible to protect them from abuse, and a government clampdown is long-overdue."