NSPCC warns social media platforms are failing to protect girls
Social media platforms, messaging apps and gaming platforms are failing to protect girls at every stage, according to new research from the NSPCC.
The children's charity commissioned PA Consulting to conduct a new report, Targeting of Girls Online, which identified a wide range of risks girls face across ten popular online platforms including grooming, harassment and abuse.
As part of the research, fake profiles of a teenage girl were created on these sites.
(Image: Getty Images)
The report found that the detailed nature of the profiles made it too easy for adult strangers to pick out girls and send unsolicited messages to their accounts.
Findings also highlighted how many of the features and functionalities employed by tech companies subliminally encourage young girls to increase their online networks, online consumption, and online activity - often at the expense of their own safety.
In response the NSPCC is urging Ofcom to address the significant gaps in its Illegal Harms Codes which fail to take into account specific risks which would be mitigated by solutions found in the report.
The Targeting of Girls Online report analysed features and design choices of these platforms which expose girls to harm online - including abuse, harassment and exploitation from strangers.
Proposed solutions include:
all services conducting their own 'abusability studies' to identify risky features and functionalities, as well as testing any new feature before rolling it out. These tests must include a gendered analysis of likely risk
social media apps should integrate screenshot capabilities into a reporting function, along with automatically detecting identifiable information in bios.
social media apps should implement a 'cooling off' period once a connection is made between users, resulting in increased restrictions on interactions.
increased measures to prevent non trusted adults from being able to video call young users.
Young people looking for support on any of the issues mentioned, can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or visit Childline.org.uk.
Childline is available to all young people until their 19th birthday. Adults who are concerned about a child can contact the NSPCC Helpline by calling 0808 800 5000, or email: help@NSPCC.org.ukhelp@NSPCC.org.uk
Rani Govender, Policy Manager for Child Safety Online, said: "Parents are absolutely right to be concerned about the risks their daughters' are being exposed to online, with this research making it crystal clear that tech companies are not doing nearly enough to create age-appropriate experiences for girls.
'We know both on and offline girls face disproportionate risks of harassment, sexual abuse, and exploitation. That's why it's so worrying that these platforms are fundamentally unsafe by design – employing features and dark patterns that are putting girls in potentially dangerous situations.
'There needs to be a complete overhaul of how these platforms are built. This requires tech companies and Ofcom to step up and address how poor design can lead to unsafe spaces for girls.
'At the same time Government must layout in their upcoming Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy steps to help prevent child sexual offences and tackle the design failures of social media companies that put girls in harm's way.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BreakingNews.ie
5 hours ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Man (26) jailed for sexual assault of a woman in a park in Co Donegal
A young man who sexually assaulted a young woman in a park in Co Donegal after he claimed he "read the wrong signals" has been jailed for three years. Billy Diver appeared at Letterkenny Circuit Court after pleading guilty to the sexual assault at Swan Park in Buncrana on the evening of June 24th, 2020. Advertisement Diver, now aged 26, was with another friend when he saw two young women, aged 19, sitting on a bench in the park during what was Covid times. Garda Keith Conlon outlined the incident led by state barrister Ms Fiona Crawford, BL. It was around 8pm and the young women were walking around the park and two young men began chatting to them. The women began walking on and the two young men turned up again. Advertisement Suddenly one of the men grabbed one of the women and "dragged" her into some trees and grabbed her by the backside. The woman then told gardaí how the man then grabbed her right hand and forced it onto his penis. As she broke free the man then touched her vagina over her jeans. The woman said she was scared and moved across the grass area but the young men came over to them again. The same man then put his hand on her thigh and then began to put his hand over her vagina again before he put his hand down the back of her trousers and grabbed her backside. Advertisement The young woman phoned a friend and was crying at this stage but the court was told the young man grabbed her again and was trying to kiss her on the neck and lips despite her consistently asking him to stop. The two men then got into a van but the young woman was able to take a picture of the accused as other people present came to the assistance of the young woman. A mother and daughter who were also in the area also managed to get videos of the men leaving and they told Gardai what they had seen. The two girls approached another couple and asked them to talk to them as they were both very stressed and speaking very quickly. Advertisement This couple contacted gardaí with a description of the van. Gardaí arrived a short time later to find two distressed females who flagged them down and provided them with details of what had happened and a possible name of one of the men. Some time later a man presented himself at Buncrana Garda Station saying he wanted to report an incident of being hassled by people in the park including a mother and daughter who were filming him. That individual turned out to be the accused man. Advertisement When questioned by gardaí about the alleged incident, Diver said the incidents between him and the young woman were consensual, that she had taken his hands, smiled and they went behind a ditch. He said he then noticed that he was being recorded. Diver's clothing was then seized by investigating gardaí and he was then identified at the scene by phone footage. The court was told that Diver is from Derry and that he has no previous criminal convictions. A victim impact statement from the young woman told how her life changed on that day. Simple things like leaving her home causes her great anxiety, she constantly looks over her shoulder fearing she will be attacked again when she once felt safe. She has frequent nightmares reliving her trauma and cannot visit Swan Park again as it brings back so many traumatic moments. She has feelings of depression, shame and self-blame even though she knows it was not her fault and cannot trust others and cannot form new relationships. She also had to take time off work to attend counselling and that was a financial strain while her studies and career progression have also been affected. "It has changed the course of my life and I am scarred for life inside," the young woman said. Barrister for the accused, Mr Peter Nolan, BL, said it was his client's view that there were 'signals' coming from this young lady and that he misinterpreted them. He said the girls had looked over at Diver and his friend and began giggling at them and that he misread the situation and approached the girls. Mr Nolan said his client had never tried to hide or deny anything and that in his full memo of interview. Diver's barrister said he put it that his client had misread the situation and should have been more careful. Addressing his client's background, Mr Nolan said he had left school at 14 as he was not academic but had a full history of employment and works in Northern Ireland as a labourer. The Probation Service had placed him in the moderate to high risk of reoffending, that he has no medical issues and that he is capable of community service and is also willing to comply with the Probation Services. Mr Nolan again reiterated that Diver had 'misread the signals very, very, badly' and that he needs some maturity to his sexual behaviour but is entirely sorry for what he did. Diver took to the witness stand and said he would like to "deeply apologise" to the woman for the offence that happened saying his apology was from "the bottom of my heart." He added that he understood the seriousness of the situation and that he was deeply apologetic. Passing sentence, Judge John Aylmer said this was a "very nasty sexual assault on a young woman in a public park" adding there was "no question of her behaviour to you" and that it was clear that she was being harassed and set upon by Diver. He added that it was clearly a very frightening experience for the young woman noting she still suffers from anxiety and depression for the last four years. Judge Aylmer placed the offence in the mid range of such offences and one which merits a sentence of four years in prison before mitigation. He noted there was a late plea to the charge which was nevertheless valuable in these cases, that he has no previous convictions and that he was a very young man of 20 at the time. He said the Probation Service in Northern Ireland placed him at a moderate to high risk of reoffending because of his minimisation and tendency to victim blame when, the Judge said, "you have absolutely no grounds to blame her for anything, as it is clear that you were the predator preying on her and that was clear to all watching what was going on." He added that he will reduce the sentence to one of three years and that he considered suspending any of that sentence. However, because of the report of the Probation Service and the accused man's minimisation and victim blaming, he was not minded to suspend any portion of that three years sentence. If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can call the national 24-hour Rape Crisis Helpline at 1800-77 8888, access text service and webchat options at or visit Rape Crisis Help.
North Wales Chronicle
6 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Molly Russell's father urges PM to act over online harms as ‘app cap' considered
Ian Russell, whose 14-year-old daughter took her own life after viewing harmful content on social media, urged the Prime Minister to 'act decisively' in toughening legislation to protect young people online. It comes after Cabinet minister Pete Kyle signalled he was looking at measures to restrict the amount of time children spend on their phones, including through a possible 10pm curfew. Mr Russell, who is chairman of the Molly Rose Foundation set up in his daughter's memory, said: 'Every day the Government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws we've seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech. 'Parents up and down the country would be delighted to see the Prime Minister act decisively to quell the tsunami of harm children face online, but sticking plasters will not do the job. 'Only a stronger and more effective Online Safety Act will finally change the dial on fundamentally unsafe products and business models that prioritise engagement over safety.' The Online Safety Act has passed into law, and from this year will require tech platforms to follow new Ofcom-issued codes of practice to keep users safe online, particularly children. Hefty fines and site blockages are among the penalties for those caught breaking the rules, but many critics have argued the approach gives tech firms too much scope to regulate themselves. Mr Kyle was asked on Sunday morning whether he would look at limiting the time children spend on social media to two hours per app after the Sunday People and Mirror reported the measure was being considered by ministers. 'I've not been able to talk publicly about what the Labour approach is because we have the legacy legislation that has to go through first,' he told the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show. 'This year we've had illegal content that needs to be taken down, but in July age-appropriate material must be supplied by platforms otherwise there'll be criminal sanctions against them. 'And in this time, I've been looking very carefully about what we do next.' Pressed on whether he was looking at an 'app cap', Mr Kyle said: 'I'm looking at things that prevent healthy activity, I'm looking at some of the addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones. 'I'm trying to think how we can break some of the addictive behaviour and incentivise more of the healthy developmental… and also the good communicative side of online life.'
Telegraph
6 hours ago
- Telegraph
Four die in apartment block e-scooter fire
'Fires caused by this type of battery…are extremely difficult to extinguish, since the cells tend to self-sustain when they burn, which explains the violence and speed with which the fire spreads,' he added. One resident of the block, named only as Faïza, told a local radio station she and her family narrowly escaped after hearing screams and seeing smoke everywhere. She said they had to leave everything behind as they fled. 'The flames took over the building so quickly, we didn't have time. We went downstairs and went straight out with the children,' she said. Faiza said she was friends with the mother of the two boys who died, who was away on a visit to French Guiana with her newborn baby girl. She added that she had seen the body of the boy who jumped lying on the ground. 'His feet were broken. He was burned,' she said. 'His eyes were closed. I could see that he no longer felt the pain. You could see that he was no longer there. He wasn't moving, he wasn't speaking, his eyes were closed.'
