Tom Daley homophobic tweet by footballer Daniel Thomas will not result in charges But Mr Starmer said "the time has come for an informed debate about the boundaries of free speech in an age of social media." New guidelines were needed because this was just one of a growing number of such cases and there were likely to be many more, he said. Estimates show there are 340 million messages a day sent on Twitter alone and "banter, jokes and offensive comment are commonplace and often spontaneous," he said. Mr Starmer went on: "To ensure that CPS decision-making in these difficult cases is clear and consistent, I intend to issue guidelines on social media cases for prosecutors. But he added that this was not just a matter for prosecutors. "Social media is a new and emerging phenomenon raising difficult issues of principle, which have to be confronted not only by prosecutors but also by others including the police, the courts and service providers," he said. Mr Starmer, the most senior prosecutor in England and Wales, will hold a series of round-table meetings with campaigners, media lawyers, academics, social media experts and law enforcement bodies next month before the interim guidelines are published.