Social media policy

Our policy on who we will follow, how we use our channels and how we will respond to unacceptable behaviour on our social networks.

The Met Office X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, Pinterest, Bluesky, LinkedIn and Threads accounts are managed by the Met Office Communications team, on behalf of colleagues throughout the Met Office.

Content

Our social media channels publish a range of weather and climate content relevant to the audiences of each channel. Our content consists of presented videos, animated videos and images, text and still imagery.

The frequency of posts on each channel will fluctuate, it is likely we will post more often across all our channels when there is impactful weather in the forecast, helping us to inform people and help keep them and their property safe from severe weather.

Across our channels we may share content from partners that is relevant to the audience and supports our messages. On X and Facebook we may use some automation such as RSS feeds for our Severe Weather Warnings.

On occasions our accounts may post promoted content to reach an audience that is not already following us, this will be to convey a message that is specific to a targeted audience, such as very severe weather forecast in a defined area.

Following

If you Follow, Like or Join our accounts we will not automatically Follow you back, Like your page(s), add you as a Friend, or join your account. This is to discourage the use of direct messaging, avoid wasting resources on spam handling and so that you can easily identify other key partners that we think are relevant and who we Follow or Like. However, being Followed or Liked by the Met Office does not imply endorsement of any kind by the Met Office.

When we post

Our social media channels are used on various timescales depending on their purpose and audience. Our @MetOffice X account posts 24/7/365, our regional X Severe Weather Warning feeds also post 24/7/365 using RSS feeds from our warnings service to post warnings as soon as they are issued. Our other channels are used throughout the week on a less operational basis. Some posts may be published outside of usual working hours to reach a greater number of followers. Our YouTube channel has a regular publishing schedule through the week, with occasional special broadcasts for notable weather or events.

Social media platforms may sometimes be unavailable and we accept no responsibility for lack of service due to downtime or other events beyond our control.

Comments policy

This section outlines the Met Office definition of unacceptable social media behaviour as well as our procedures for managing and responding to inappropriate comments on the Met Office's social media channels.

Social media platforms are designed to connect people and foster online communities. However, some people may use these platforms to harass, bully, threaten, or harm others. This is unacceptable and violates the terms of service of most social media platforms.

Everyone has a right to free speech. This is enshrined in law. But a right to free speech must be balanced with UK laws covering matters such as libel and defamation, contempt of court, harassment, the Communications Act, Computer Misuse Act and what is generally acceptable. As the Met Office, we also have a duty of care towards our employees.

What is unacceptable social media behaviour?

We have no intention of stifling discussion about us as an organisation. But we do draw the line at posts or messages on social media sites that cross the threshold in terms of acceptability. This includes targeting named members of staff with direct, unacceptable, criticism or personally attacking citizens who have posted opposing views on our social media sites. We reserve the right to take action in relation to social media posts or messages which transmit:

offensive, threatening, indecent or obscene material or abusive images and literature;
material which can reasonably be considered as harassment of, or insulting to, other people or organisations;
sexist, racist, homophobic or other unacceptable language/swear words which are intended to cause concern/harm;
defamatory or libellous content or content that may be in contempt of court;
material obtained in violation of copyright or used in breach of a licence agreement;
spam (electronic junk mail);
commercial activities which are not connected to Met Office business;
any form of gaming, lottery or betting;
any form of share dealing;
offers of items for sale or bids on commercial auction sites;
chain schemes (such as pyramid selling);
material designed to mislead people about who originated or authorised it (e.g. through misuse of signatures);
attempts to compromise Met Office IT and Telecoms, prevent legitimate access to them, damage them or seek to cause degradation of performance or a denial of service;
attempts to gain unauthorized access to Met Office IT and Telecoms or content for which you do not have permission (i.e. Hacking);
attempts to access, amend, damage, delete or disseminate another user's files, emails, communications or data without the appropriate authority.
break any other law (such as hate crime) or incite someone/people to break the law.

Comments or posts that contain any of the terms listed above will be removed as soon as possible from the Met Office social media feeds.

Once unacceptable behaviour has been identified, the Met Office may choose to issue a written warning to the author in private via a direct message to remind the individual of our social media policy. They will be reminded that continued unacceptable behaviour will result in a block.

The Met Office may choose to escalate by blocking and / or reporting the individual without any written warning if the behaviour is frequent prolonged or extreme.

If unacceptable behaviour continues after the one warning, or if the behaviour is frequent, prolonged or extreme, the Met Office will consider blocking users immediately from interacting with its social feeds.

Inappropriate, offensive, or abusive behaviour may also be reported through the social media platform it is posted on. The platform will review the report and take appropriate action as necessary, such as removing the content, suspending the account, or notifying the authorities. We may also report the matter to the police where behaviour amounts to abuse or harassment, or a criminal offence is suspected.

Opinions expressed in comments are those of the author not those of the Met Office. The use of comments does not override the existing, official channels by which the Met Office is held accountable to Parliament and to the Public. Nor does it affect your rights under the law, for example your right of access to official information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

We cannot engage on issues of party politics or answer questions that break the rules of our general comments policy. The Met Office reserves the right to ignore, limit or suspend comments or responses to comments, locally or universally and without prior notice, if we judge that these are becoming a waste of official funds or Civil Service time.