Instagram teen accounts still show suicide content, study claims Source: BBC News

 

Research carried out by the US research centre Cybersecurity for Democracy  on behalf of child safety groups including the Molly Rose Foundation have reported that their investigations show that Instagram's tools designed to protect teenagers from harmful content are failing to stop them from seeing suicide and self-harm posts.

Researchers also said the social media platform, owned by Meta, encouraged children "to post content that received highly sexualised comments from adults".

The testing, by child safety groups and cyber researchers, found 30 out of 47 safety tools for teens on Instagram were "substantially ineffective or no longer exist".

Meta has disputed the research and its findings, saying its protections have led to teens seeing less harmful content on Instagram.

Read the full report here. 

 

 

Experts warn of rise in sadistic online exploitation of vulnerable children Source: The Guardian

 

 

This report from The Guardian newspaper cites evidence of predators coercing children into producing sexual photos and videos of themselves have surged globally in the past year. This phenomenon is referred to “sadistic online exploitation”.

This issue has been reported previously focussed on the creation of sexual material which is then used to exploit young people who share sexual images of themselves. This practice  extends this to promoting self harming or even suicide. Other disgusting demands include forcing children to cut themselves, eat their own vomit, drink urine, die by suicide, or harm other children and pets in their homes. Some groups also engage in mass casualty planning, doxing and cyber-harassment.

With the high level of scrutiny and changes to the Law will have an effect but these perpetrators will almost certainly be looking at more devious ways to reaach their vulnerable targets.

Read the full story here.

  

Social media as bad for children as smoking, British doctors say Source: Brtish Medical Journal

 

British doctors have responded to the UK government consultation on the possible ban on Social Media for under 16 year olds by saying that  'Social media ranks alongside smoking as a danger to children'.

The report also refers to a statement made in the report that   "There can be few issues which have united clinicians so resoundingly ​in recent years as the impact that unfettered exposure to tech and devices is currently having ​on children and young people's health," 

More than half of 132 doctors surveyed saw at least one case of health harm that could ​be related to tech and devices every week, and over a third saw evidence of harm ​multiple times a week.\

 

The report will almost certainly have a significant impact on the outcome of the consultation and decisions about changes to UK law to deal with the issue are imminent.

 

Read the full story here. 

 

 

Schoolgirl, 12, ‘took her own life after Snapchat bullying’ as tributes pour in for ‘funny, kind-hearted girl’ Source: The Sun

 

 

A 12 year old schoolgirl, Amelia Bath.  was tragically found dead n her bedroom by her mum on March 6.  Police were called and they found messages on the girl's phone which indictaed that she was being bullied on the app Snapchat.

The parents reported that there had been no signs that Ameila was concerned or worried about anything and she was laughing and joking with her family the evening before.

The police investgation is still onging but this is a prime example of where parental scruting of communications between their children and other people need to be monitored or checked regularly in an attempt to prevent such tragic outcomes.

Read the full strory here.

 

 

 

Father claims Google's AI product fuelled son's delusional spiral Source: BBC News

This new story from the BBC begins with the following warning:

 Warning - this story contains distressing content and discussion of suicide

 The story concerns the suicide of a 36 year old man which the father claims was due to excessing use of Google's AI tool.

The father of a Florida man is suing Google in the first wrongful death case in the US against the tech giant over alleged harms caused by its artificial intelligence (AI) tool Gemini.

The father said that Google's flagship AI product had fuelled a delusional spiral that prompted his 36-year old son, Jonathan, to kill himself last year.

The claim alleges that Google made design choices that ensured Gemini would "never break character" so that the firm could "maximise engagement through emotional dependency."

Other examples of potential dangers of the development of AI tools have been appearing in many articles in recent months and The Cyber Trust would urge parents to take note of their child's use of AI. AI code will pervade the world of gaming, online dialogue and fake news stories and many other aspects of life over the coming years.

Read the full story here.