Self defence and internet laws basically

Question

If Mrs A posts a joke on TikTok about using a deodorant spray as self defense, would that be termed illegal in the uk

Answer 1

Almost surely not.

Deodorant isn't inherently a deadly or restricted weapon (although it is sometimes used as a pepper spray substitute), any more than carrying a heavy purse full of ordinary stuff that due to its weight can be used to slug someone is. It is not illegal in the U.K. to carry deodorant on your person.

It is also not illegal to contemplate means of self-defense in public.

If the intent were to use the deodorant not as a variant on pepper spray (as suggested, e.g., here), but as a primitive flame thrower, the social media post might be evidence of pre-mediation in the use of the deodorant in a deadly manner in this fashion, as opposed to a claim that it accidentally ignited.

This could be relevant if the deodorant used as a flame thrower was later used to cause disproportionate harm in self-defense (or used without legal justification). But that wouldn't make the post itself illegal, before any of that happened.

A social media website would be free to restrict posts of this kind through their terms of service or content moderation, but that wouldn't have legal consequences.