Social media platforms need to clamp down on internet trolls and harmful content to stop the “Wild West” nature of the internet, the country’s first suicide prevention minister has said.

Jackie Doyle-Price said tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter should put more emphasis on removing worrying content like hurtful comments and self-harm videos in order to create a less toxic online environment.

And she said she wanted to see a “cultural change” which would mean online trolling would be deemed as socially unacceptable as drink-driving.

The Conservative MP for Thurrock said: “They (social media platforms and tech companies) need to be vigilant about content they’re hosting.

“From my perspective, there should be the same standards of content protection that exist in newspapers and other publications – ultimately they can remove content that causes harm.

“They have a cultural ethos which allows user-generated content and they have their own rules and terms and conditions, but I want them to be much more vigilant.

“It’s great that we have these platforms for free speech and any one of us is free to generate our own content and put it up there, but free speech is only free if it’s not abused.

“I just think in terms of implementing their duty of care to their customers, the Wild West that we currently have needs to be a lot more regulated by them.

“I want to see much more active moderation.”

A consultation is currently under way over how to make users safer on the internet.

The Online Harms White Paper proposes establishing a new duty of care towards users, overseen by an independent regulator.

Companies will be held to account for tackling a comprehensive set of online harms, ranging from illegal activity and content to behaviours which are harmful but not necessarily illegal, the Government said.

Failure to fulfil this duty of care will result in enforcement action such as a company fine or individual liability on senior management.

Ms Doyle-Price, who was appointed to the new role of suicide prevention minister in October 2018, said those who disagreed with her or who had concerns about freedom of expression should raise those worries in the consultation, which runs until July 1.