Birmingham 'lads in jeans' meme group call for "justice" for victims of online abuse
Friends from 'Four lads in jeans' viral meme on Good Morning Britain in January 2021
Four friends who received an influx of abuse after going viral have said the Government should do more to find "justice" for victims of trolling.
Kevin Rooney, Alex Lacey, Jamie Phillips and Connor Humpage went viral last year after a photograph they shared on Instagram of them on a night out in Birmingham became the "four lads in jeans" meme.
The photograph has been widely shared across multiple platforms which has allowed the friends to build a media career out of their fame.
Despite their recent success, the abuse has not stopped.
30-year-old Mr Rooney said he was told to "go hang yourself" last week.
Mr Lacey, a plumbing and heating engineer, received abusive phone calls and texts after his work number was leaked and his mother was targeted on Instagram.
The 26-year-old said "You don't see the good in it for a long time. It did massively knock me on my head. It changed me a lot".
The group said social media companies should be checking people's ID to verify users' identities so that people can be blocked from using platforms and police can take further action if needed.
ITV News Central contacted the Department of Media, Culture and Sport and they said:
"Bullying and harassing people is as unacceptable online as it is offline, which is why we're introducing new laws to tackle this kind of harmful content. Companies will need to fulfill a duty of care towards users or face tough sanctions.
The Online Safety Bill, which will be ready this year, will impose a duty of care on companies towards their users, overseen by an independent regulator. This will mean that companies are held to account for tackling illegal activity and harmful content, such as hate crime, harassment and cyber-stalking."
The friends appeared on Good Morning Britain at the start of the year after their picture was combined with a viral sea shanty by Scottish singer Nathan Evans.
28-year-old Jamie Phillips says it was a turning point for the group: "before the sea shanty song, I would have taken the photo back very quickly...in a heartbeat".
He added: "I can look back in 20 years' time and say I've worked with Sony, McDonald's, say I've been on Radio 1 with Scott Mills - no one can take that away from me. I've spoken to Piers Morgan, that's huge."
Read more: