The MP for Reading East has called on the government to get tough on social media companies after telling parliament of the tragic way in which online platforms were used in the murder of Olly Stephens.

13-year-old Olly was lured to Bugs Bottom field by a girl, aged 14, on January 3 through social media.

Here, two boys he had only ever spoken to online were waiting for him. They got into a fight and one of them stabbed him.

Olly died minutes later and the two boys involved in the fight were convicted of his murder.

The girl admitted to Olly’s manslaughter and will spend five years behind bars.

READ MORE: The 'total strangers', 'dedicated people' and friends who 'pulled together' to support Olly Stephens' family

Reading East MP Matt Rodda today called on the government to get tough on social media companies in a debate about the Online Harms Bill.

This comes after a trial of the two boys who murdered Olly revealed 11 different social media apps were used in the lead-up to his death.

Mr Rodda (LAB) said: “The background to the attack, the way in which it involves social media, is very clear and actually quite shocking.

“First of all, Olly met the two boys who killed him online. That's the connection between them.

“Secondly, and most crucially of all, he was actually lured to the park where he stabbed by a girl who sent him a message online, asking him to come to the park.

“She'd also separately messaged other young people asking someone to stab him and this was on a social media platform.

“You can imagine how awful this is.

READ MORE: Why Striking Knife Angel statue could be on its way to Reading

“The third point which is really important for us to consider today is that the young people involved were very young teenagers, that the boys who killed Olly were using 11 different social media platforms and they were sharing images of knives.

“So you imagine teenagers flicking, playing with knives in their bedrooms, videoing that, putting that shocking content up on social media, and none of those 11 platforms took that content down.

“That's the kind of level that we're talking about.

“And that's why we're going to the minister, I'm sure he will want to respond on this point to particularly address the connection between knife crime and social media.

“I would ask the Minister also to ensure that if companies operate in the UK, they are regulated in the UK and we protect our young people from these, this dreadful form of crime.”

Mr Rodda spoke in the Online Harms Bill debate on Thursday, January 13.