British universities distancing themselves from X..."Worried about false information."

British universities are increasingly distancing themselves from social media and X (formerly Twitter) over fears of spreading disinformation, Reuters reported.

A Reuters survey of 150 UK universities, colleges and art schools found that several organizations had minimized or stopped using X.

False information on social media has been cited as the main cause of last year's July-August riots in Britain, and X in particular sparked controversy with owner Elon Musk's posts defending the imprisoned far-right British figure and criticizing the British government.

London Business School (LBS) has not posted on X since September last year.

At Oxford University, Harris Manchester College reported in its last post on X in November last year that it mainly uses other social media such as Instagram, threads, and blue sky.

Merton College, Oxford University, has deleted its X account.

Cambridge University said it also uses X along with other social media channels, but at least seven of Cambridge's 31 colleges have stopped posting on X.

"We know the platform is getting more and more harmful," said Homerton College, which has the largest number of students at the university, "and we will continue to evaluate our use of X and look at alternatives."

The University of Palmers posted its last post in September last year, and Flymouth Majon University said it no longer uses X.

The University of East Anglia says it has seen an 80% reduction in user activity related to X.

Asked about his position on these trends, Reuters said X did not respond.