Young people should report harmful content online, the communications control body said, after discovering that two-thirds have suffered potential harm on social media, but only one in six report it.
Ofcom found that 67% of 13- to 24-year-olds had seen potentially harmful content online, although only 17% reported it. The regulator is tasked with enforcing the measures in the upcoming online safety bill, which will require social media companies to protect children and adults from online harm.
The most common potential harm found online was offensive or bad language (28%), according to respondents in Ofcom’s Online Nation 2022 report, followed by: misinformation (23%); scams, fraud and fishing (22%); unwanted friend or follow-up requests (21%) and trolling (17%). A further 14% had suffered bullying, abusive behaviors and online threats.
Ofcom is launching a campaign with TikTok influencer Lewis Leigh, who became famous during the confinement by posting videos of him teaching dance moves to his grandmother. The “Only Dwarves” campaign will encourage young people to report harmful content they see on social media.
The campaign also has the support of Jo Hemmings, a behavioral psychologist. He said: “People react very differently when they see something harmful in real life, reporting it to the police or asking for help from a friend, parent or guardian, but they often take very little action when they see the same thing in the world. virtual. ”
TikTok removed more than 85 million content in the last three months of last year, with almost 5% of that total coming from user references. Instagram removed more than 43 million content during the same period, of which more than 6% came from users who reported or flagged content.
Anna-Sophie Harling, Ofcom’s director of online security, said: “Our campaign is designed to empower young people to report harmful content when they see it, and we are prepared for technology companies to be aware of the effectiveness they respond to. “.
The online security bill is expected to become law by the end of the year. Ofcom will have the power to impose fines of £ 18 million or 10% of a company’s overall turnover for non-compliance with the law, which imposes a duty of care on technology companies to protect people from harmful content generated by users. One of the specific mandates of the bill is to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful or inappropriate content.
Andy Burrows, head of online child safety policy at the NSPCC, who has called for a strengthening of the bill, said: “This report highlights how young people are at greater risk of finding harmful content but feel left out. support for social media and I also don’t know how to report it or believe that platforms just won’t take action when they do. “
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