S7M-01200: Addressing the Harms of Health Misinformation

The motion

That the Parliament notes with concern the increasing risk of the global spread of misinformation relating to public health on social media, including through the use of AI-altered content; recognises that accessible, science-based and trustworthy health information is essential to supporting people to make informed decisions about their health, maintaining confidence in public health interventions and improving health outcomes; acknowledges the importance of taking an ethical approach to information integrity, and that misleading or false health information has a detrimental impact on society; notes with concern the rise in vaccine misinformation that has been spread in society since the COVID-19 pandemic; agrees that anyone who is eligible for life-saving vaccinations should be able to access the care that they need without the risk of harmful misinformation causing unnecessary concern or fear; further agrees that every Member of the Scottish Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that they use factual, science-based and trusted sources of health information from the NHS, public bodies and academia to protect public health, and that members should collaborate to tackle the rise of harmful online misinformation.

What MSPs voted on: the motion as amended

The SNP’s motion was changed by amendments from Labour (S7M-01200.1) and the Conservatives (S7M-01200.2) before this vote. A vote ‘for’ was a vote for the motion as amended, not as lodged.

That the Parliament notes with concern the increasing risk of the global spread of misinformation relating to public health on social media, including through the use of AI-altered content; recognises that accessible, science-based and trustworthy health information is essential to supporting people to make informed decisions about their health, maintaining confidence in public health interventions and improving health outcomes; acknowledges the importance of taking an ethical approach to information integrity, and that misleading or false health information has a detrimental impact on society; notes with concern the rise in vaccine misinformation that has been spread in society since the COVID-19 pandemic; agrees that anyone who is eligible for life-saving vaccinations should be able to access the care that they need without the risk of harmful misinformation causing unnecessary concern or fear; further agrees that every Member of the Scottish Parliament has a responsibility to ensure that they use factual, science-based and trusted sources of health information from the NHS, public bodies and academia to protect public health, and that members should collaborate to tackle the rise of harmful online misinformation.S7M-01200.1 Labour ; is concerned by declining childhood vaccination rates and continuing barriers to access to vaccination programmes, and believes that additional flexibility is required for trusted primary care teams to improve vaccination uptake.S7M-01200.2 Conservative ; supports the development of a new national approach to health literacy, that enables people to find, understand and use public health information to make informed decisions about their health and to support others to do so; notes the recent Movember report on men's health in Scotland and its call for a public health approach to addressing the online harms and disinformation affecting boys and young men, building on the Scottish Government's Online Safety Taskforce Action Plan; further notes that such an approach should be adopted as a cross-government priority, and calls on the Scottish Government to review how all public health information can build trust, improve health literacy and open routes into support and services, as part of a more coherent national approach to service redesign and public policy.

Final wording as read into the Official Report at Decision Time. The marked changes are worked out by this site from the amendment texts and match that wording.

Amendments

S7M-01200.3 Reform UK Helen McDade Defeated vote, 18–95
S7M-01200.1 Labour Jackie Baillie Agreed vote, 96–17
S7M-01200.2 Conservative Miles Briggs Agreed without a vote, per the Official Report

Signatures by party

3 MSPs besides the lodger · 0 from other parties

SNP 3

Party on the day each MSP signed. Signing a motion is voluntary and not whipped. Who signs whose motions

Vote

1 division

17 Sep 2026
Addressing the Harms of Health Misinformation
S7M-01200as amended by Labour + Conservative
Carried
109 for, 2 against, 1 abstained

Amendments

3

S7M-01200.1

Addressing the Harms of Health Misinformation
Jackie Baillie Lab Lodged 16 Sep 2026

Carried
96 for, 17 against
S7M-01200.2

Addressing the Harms of Health Misinformation
Miles Briggs Con Lodged 16 Sep 2026

No recorded vote
S7M-01200.3

Addressing the Harms of Health Misinformation
Helen McDade Reform Lodged 16 Sep 2026

Defeated
18 for, 95 against

Supporters

3 MSPs

SNP 3

Show all 3 supporters by party

SNP 3

Party shown is each supporter’s party when the motion was published.

In the Official Report

6 contributions mention S7M-01200

17 Sep 2026

Health Misinformation
Katy Clark Lab Meeting of the Parliament

We move to the debate on motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, on addressing the harms of health misinformation.15:09
17 Sep 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

There are four questions to be put as a result of today’s business. The first is, that amendment S7M-01200.3, in the name of Helen McDade, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, on addressing the harms of h…
17 Sep 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The next question is, that amendment S7M-01200.1, in the name of Jackie Baillie, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
17 Sep 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The next question is, that amendment S7M-01200.2, in the name of Miles Briggs, which seeks to amend motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, be agreed to.Amendment agreed to.
17 Sep 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The final question is, that motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, on addressing the harms of health misinformation, as amended, be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
17 Sep 2026

Decision Time
Kenneth Gibson Meeting of the Parliament

The result of the division on motion S7M-01200, in the name of Angela Constance, on addressing the harms of health misinformation, as amended, is: For 109, Against 2, Abstentions 1.Motion, as amended, agreed to,That the Parliament notes wi…