Friday March 6th 2026
MP Kirsty McNeill
Midlothian MP Kirsty McNeill writes her monthly column for Midlothian View
Here are just a few things that have happened in the last few weeks.
I had an experience that made me think we really need to talk about AI and the truth. It happened right here, in Midlothian View. I always enjoy getting the newsletter but was very confused when I read an article from SNP Councillor Dianne Alexander which attributed a quote to me I’m pretty certain I never said. When we contacted Midlothian View about it they immediately asked Councillor Alexander for the source of the quote. When it was not forthcoming they removed the article to give her time to explain what had happened. She still hasn’t, one month on.
It seems to me there are only three possible explanations. Either a quote from someone else has been falsely attributed to me. It has been made up entirely by a person. Or it was one of the so-called AI ‘hallucinations’ that can occur when people use AI to write things and the technology goes a bit haywire and just invents stuff. If it’s the first, that’s just a mistake and an apology can be given and we can all move on. I’m really loath to think it’s the second as I think most people are in politics for good reasons. If it’s the third then we all need to talk about how technology can spread misinformation, because the truth matters.
The next thing is that I received hundreds of emails from Midlothian parents worried about whether their kids are safe online. Then I hosted a listening event for families at the Steading in Rosewell. I’ll be feeding all your views into the government’s consultation.
I also had a brilliant conversation with children at Roslin Primary School. They all felt strongly that protections for them to use technology safely should be improved but they also broke my heart when I asked them if they thought the grown-ups in their lives were able to help them monitor their screen time. One wee one said they’d never watched a film right through with their mum without her “double screening”. When I asked if they thought the adults they knew were using their phones too much, every single hand shot up. I’m not sharing that to judge anyone – I’m guilty of this too – but I made a promise to myself right then to try to put it down more.
What all these experiences have in common is that we have a bit more power to change our relationship with technology than we can sometimes assume. Here are some ideas I have for how we could all work together on that.
Firstly, I think we need to spend more time face to face. That way we are less likely to get pulled into online “rabbit holes” or “echo chambers” where we believe conspiracy theories or simply engage with people who already agree with us. I am a huge supporter of Midlothian’s network of miners’ welfares, social clubs and British Legions. If you haven’t joined your local club, why not think about it? I will be doing a number of Meet the Neighbours events at clubs this year – sign up for the newsletter if you’re interested: kirstymcneill.com/#signup.
Secondly, let’s all think about our own behaviour online. Midlothian is blessed with all sorts of Facebook groups and forums. What kind of culture do we want them to have? Do we want them to be friendly and full of banter and advice, or places where people we disagree with are shouted down and attacked? We’ve all got a role to play in setting standards and an example.
Thirdly, I think we do need to think about this at a policy level. Scottish Labour are proposing a total phone classroom ban and I have an open survey about issues like age limits for social media, which you can fill out at kirstymcneill.com/keeping-our-kids-safe-online.
Finally, I should say that I wrote this article on my phone: I am not some kind of anti-technology nostalgic, desperate for a world before the digital revolution. My hope here is that we can find a way to unleash the potential of technology in a way that’s safe and makes our world more wonderful for everyone in it. If you’ve other ideas, I’m all ears.
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