Setting the Record Straight: The Truth About Social Media Benefits

A blog by Liz an Ambassador of It's Olivia's World - Supporting neurodivergent communities with facts, not fear

Let's Talk About What Really Happened

Since December 2024, several major newspapers have been attacking people who share benefits advice on social media.

These outlets include:

• The Times

• Daily Mail  

• Channel 4's Dispatches

The problem? Their stories are wrong. And they're harmful to disabled communities who desperately need support.

I provide benefits guidance and was personally targeted by these outlets. I want to set the record straight with facts, not sensational headlines.

 Why People Turn to Social Media for Benefits Help

Here's the reality: The official system is failing disabled people.

That's why so many of us have turned to online communities for help.

 The Accessibility Crisis

When you're applying for benefits like:

•  Universal Credit (UC)

•  Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) 

•  Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

You're not just filling out forms. You're fighting a system that seems designed to exclude you.

The barriers include:

Phone-only contact systems

•  Don't work for people with hearing difficulties

•  Cause problems for people with anxiety

•  Are impossible for people with communication differences.

Complex application processes

• Written in legal jargon

• Extra challenging for people with dyslexia

• Difficult for people with ADHD or processing differences

Extremely long waiting times

• Assessments can take months

• Appeals sometimes take over a year

• No support while you wait

Inaccessible assessment centres

• No consideration for mobility needs

• Ignore sensory difficulties  

• Don't account for cognitive needs

Staff with limited disability training

• Don't understand different conditions

• Make harmful assumptions

• Lack basic disability awareness

Is it any wonder that people are seeking help from others who understand their experiences?

The Facts Media Won't Discuss

Newspapers attack individuals helping disabled people online who are seeking advice. But they ignore the systemic failures that make this advice necessary.

Here are the facts they don't want you to know:

Deaths Linked to DWP Actions

• 82 claimants died after DWP actions like benefit termination.

• 35 of those people had mental health vulnerabilities as a contributing factor.

(BBC investigation reported by Disability Rights UK, May 2021)

More recent data shows:

Internal process reviews of serious Universal Credit cases almost doubled between 2023–24 and 2024–25.

• Rose from 31 to 55 cases

• Totaling 59 claimant deaths

(Disability News Service, July 2024)

 Investigations Are Happening

The Equality and Human Rights Commission is investigating whether the DWP has "broken the law" in its treatment of disabled benefits claimants.

(The Big Issue, September 2024)

MPs are demanding action. The House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee has called for new legal duties to fix the DWP's "deficient" safeguarding practices.

These aren't isolated incidents. They represent a pattern of systemic failure that has cost lives.

Breaking Down the Myths

Myth 1: "People are gaming the system with social media advice"

The reality: People are sharing survival strategies for a deliberately hostile system.

When someone explains how to describe their daily struggles on a PIP form, they're not "gaming" anything. 

They're helping someone put their genuine experiences into language the system will recognize.

Myth 2: "Social media advisors are unqualified"

The reality: Many of us providing guidance are:

• People who successfully navigated the system ourselves

• Former DWP employees who understand the processes  

• Welfare rights advisors sharing knowledge

• People with lived experience of disability

We understand the real impact of these systems because we live it.

Myth 3: "This is increasing benefit claims inappropriately"

The reality: 16.1 million people in the UK had a disability in 2022/23. That's 24% of the total population.

(House of Commons Library research briefing, August 2024)

The "surge" in claims reflects:

• Increased recognition of conditions like ADHD and autism

• Better understanding of how conditions affect daily life

Not fraud

The Real Problem: A System Built to Exclude

The uncomfortable truth: The benefits system has been deliberately designed to be difficult to access. 

This isn't an accident. It's policy.

When people can't navigate the system:

• They give up their claims

• They accept inadequate awards rather than appealing  

• They suffer in poverty and isolation

• Some, tragically, don't survive the process

What We're Actually Doing

When disabled people share benefits advice online, we're doing this:

1) Translating complex procedures into accessible language

2) Sharing emotional support through an isolating process

3) Explaining our rights that the system doesn't clearly communicate

4) Building community among people who understand each other's experiences

5) Providing hope to people who feel abandoned by the system

This isn't fraud. It's mutual aid.

 It's disabled people supporting each other when the system fails us.

The Difference Between Support and Harm

Good peer support focuses on helping people understand their rights and navigate processes.

Examples:

• Explaining what evidence might support a PIP application

• Sharing how to prepare for an assessment

• Describing what happened in their own experience

This is completely different from telling someone to lie or exaggerate their conditions.

Good benefits guidance empowers people with knowledge.

Harmful advice would encourage dishonesty.

The community-led support happening on social media is overwhelmingly good support. People sharing their genuine experiences and knowledge to help others access support they're genuinely entitled to.

The Media's Harmful Narrative

By attacking people who provide benefits guidance, these media outlets are:

• Deterring people from seeking help they desperately need

• Increasing isolation among already vulnerable communities

• Spreading fear about claiming benefits you're legally entitled to

• Diverting attention from the real problems in the system

• Perpetuating stigma against disabled people

• Causing unnecessary distress to creators who are targeted

Moving Forward: What Needs to Change

Instead of attacking disabled people for helping each other, let's focus on the real solutions:

• Make the system accessible - proper disability training for all staff, multiple contact methods, clear guidance

• Reduce waiting times - properly fund the system so people aren't waiting months for decisions

• Improve assessment quality - use qualified professionals who practice in the same conditions of each applicant

• Stop the hostile environment - design systems that support people, not exclude them

• Listen to disabled voices - we know what we need better than anyone

Getting the Right Support

While peer support is invaluable, it's worth knowing about other sources of benefits advice:

• Citizens Advice - Free, independent advice (though waiting times can be long and accessibility varies)

• Local welfare rights services - Many councils fund these, but availability differs by area

• Disability charities - Organizations like Scope, Mind, and condition-specific charities often provide guidance

• Trade unions - If you're a member, many offer welfare rights support

The reality is that these options of support often have their own barriers - long waiting lists, limited hours, or staff who don't understand complex conditions. This is exactly why community support has become so vital. We're not replacing professional advice - we're filling the gaps that shouldn't exist in the first place.

Final Thoughts

To my fellow disabled community members: you have every right to seek advice, support, and guidance from whomever you want. You deserve to access the benefits system with dignity. Don't let media scare tactics stop you from getting the help you need.

To the media outlets spreading these harmful narratives: disabled people supporting each other isn't the scandal here. The scandal is a system that pushes  people to desperation and then attacks them for seeking help from somewhere they can actually access when they need to.

We'll keep supporting each other, sharing knowledge, and building the accessible world we deserve - no matter what the headlines say.

Get Support

If you need benefit advice or support, remember that seeking help is your right. There are legitimate sources of guidance available, and you deserve to access the support you're entitled to.

It’s Olivia's World continues to work toward making support services more accessible for neurodivergent communities. We provide educational support to organisations helping young adults, their carers, and families navigate systems more effectively.

This blog represents the views and experiences of Liz and It's Olivia's World community.