Chris Packham has told of the pain caused by social media trolls – with his zoologist stepdaughter Megan McCubbin admitting she gets more comments about her looks than her expertise.
Megan became a fan favourite after joining Chris on Springwatch 2020.
And the pair are set to return to our screens with a UK roadtrip in Chris & Meg’s Wild Summer.
But both know all too well the abuse that follows fame, with Chris calling for social media firms to make users “accountable” for their words.
He said: “I do think it should be better regulated. The first thing they could easily do is say that if you want a social media platform, you have to identify yourself as an individual – therefore you become accountable.
“A lot of the time they [trolls] do an enormous amount of damage in a lazy sort of way and it’s a chronic stress on people. It needs addressing.”
Megan, who has also hosted wildlife slots on ITV’s This Morning, says for young women – particularly scientists – the social media landscape is “incredibly challenging”.
She said: “I can make a post on something I might be in, and I get more comments about the way that I look, than what I’m saying.
“When I post anything, I’ll think in the back of my head : “Am I looking respectable? Am I am going to get posts more about my body and face than what I am talking about?’.”
But she will not be put off pursuing her passion and wants to change clichéd ideas about what a scientist should look like.
“Do we have to be middle-aged males with beards?” she said. “Changing what a credible scientist is is a big thing.”
Chris and Meg’s Wild Summer, starts Sunday 29, at 8.30pm, on BBC2.
