NEW DELHI: Children in Britain, as young as primary school age, are coming across violent and self-harm promoting content online, primarily due to internet usage, as per a recent study.
This poses a significant challenge for global governments and tech giants like Meta, Google, Snapchat, and TikTok to implement protective measures, especially for minors.
Last October, Britain implemented stringent regulations for social media platforms, directing them to prevent children from accessing harmful content through age restrictions and verification processes.
Despite the law granting Ofcom the authority to penalize tech companies for non-compliance, enforcement is pending until codes of practice are established.
Messaging platforms, led by WhatsApp, have expressed concerns regarding a provision in the legislation that could potentially compromise end-to-end encryption.
An investigation conducted by Ofcom, involving 247 children aged 8-17 between May and November, revealed that most children encountered violent content on social media, video-sharing platforms, and messaging applications.
The study by research agency Family Kids & Youth identified exposure to violent gaming, verbal discrimination, and street fight videos as common occurrences.
The report highlighted that many children felt powerless over the content recommendations they received and had limited comprehension of recommender systems, often referred to as ‘the algorithm’ by the children.
This poses a significant challenge for global governments and tech giants like Meta, Google, Snapchat, and TikTok to implement protective measures, especially for minors.
Last October, Britain implemented stringent regulations for social media platforms, directing them to prevent children from accessing harmful content through age restrictions and verification processes.
Despite the law granting Ofcom the authority to penalize tech companies for non-compliance, enforcement is pending until codes of practice are established.
Messaging platforms, led by WhatsApp, have expressed concerns regarding a provision in the legislation that could potentially compromise end-to-end encryption.
An investigation conducted by Ofcom, involving 247 children aged 8-17 between May and November, revealed that most children encountered violent content on social media, video-sharing platforms, and messaging applications.
The study by research agency Family Kids & Youth identified exposure to violent gaming, verbal discrimination, and street fight videos as common occurrences.
The report highlighted that many children felt powerless over the content recommendations they received and had limited comprehension of recommender systems, often referred to as ‘the algorithm’ by the children.