Protecting Children Online: Platform Responsibility

The Online Safety of Teenagers: A Growing Concern

Recent revelations from Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen highlighted Instagram’s potential negative impact on teenage girls. Facebook’s internal research indicated that 13% of British teens reported Instagram triggering thoughts of suicide, while 17% of teen girls felt the platform exacerbated eating disorders.

The Scope of Online Risk

However, these statistics represent only a fraction of the broader challenges concerning teenage safety in the digital realm. It is estimated that over 500,000 sexual predators are active online daily.

In 2020, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline received over 21.7 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation. Reports of online enticement – attempts to exploit a child through internet communication – surged by more than 97% compared to the previous year.

A Personal Account of Online Grooming

The issue of online predation isn’t new; it has existed since the early days of the internet. One individual recalls gaining their first computer in 1999 and initially engaging with platforms like Neopets and Gaia Online.

This eventually led to interactions on Myspace and Tumblr, where they encountered adults posing as younger individuals. A concerning “relationship” developed with a 17-year-old while the individual was only 12 years old. This experience was largely kept secret due to feelings of shame, and the concept of “grooming” was unfamiliar at the time.

Understanding Grooming Tactics

Grooming is a subtle process used to establish trust and emotional connection with a child or teenager, ultimately enabling manipulation, exploitation, and abuse. This can manifest as an older individual requesting webcam access and gradually encouraging inappropriate behavior.

Predators may also fabricate identities to obtain personal information, such as photos or sexual histories, which they then exploit. The potential for this information to be shared on private online channels, like Discord or Telegram, remains a significant concern.

The Persistence of CSAM

The reality is that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) may exist online, even years after the initial exploitation. Footage could remain on old devices or be disseminated through various online platforms.

Empowering Teens with Tools and Resources

This personal experience motivated the creation of a nonprofit offering online background checks. The goal is to provide individuals with information about a potential contact’s history of violence, ideally before any in-person meeting.

Access to this public records database is being expanded to include users as young as 13. While eliminating online exploitation entirely may be impossible, equipping young people with tools to assess potential risks is a crucial step.

The Limitations of Background Checks

It’s important to acknowledge that background checks are just one component of a comprehensive safety strategy. Individuals can easily misrepresent their identities, and grooming often occurs anonymously and in secrecy.

The Importance of Education

Therefore, educating young people about online dangers is paramount. This includes teaching them to recognize red flags such as love bombing, excessive jealousy, and boundary-pushing behaviors.

Equally important is communicating what constitutes a healthy and safe relationship, emphasizing positive “green flags” alongside recognizing warning signs.

Practical Safety Skills

Practical skills should also be incorporated into education. Children should be taught to be discerning about the photos they share, the follow requests they accept, and to always involve an adult when meeting someone they’ve connected with online.

Open Communication is Key

Open and consistent discussions about the risks of online dating and communication are vital. When adults openly address these dangers, children and teens are better equipped to recognize and avoid potential threats.

These conversations, similar to sex education, are often left to parents, who may assume schools are addressing them. Parents must proactively seek resources to understand online culture and effectively navigate these discussions.

Platform Responsibility

As Frances Haugen emphasized, online platforms also bear a responsibility for user safety. Trust and safety departments are relatively new and require ongoing development.

Investing in Safety Teams

Content moderators are frequently understaffed, underpaid, and inadequately trained. Online platforms must prioritize protection over profit and invest in comprehensive training and mental health support for their safety teams.

Providing these teams with the necessary tools and time for critical thinking will enable them to effectively and carefully address questionable content.

The Internet as a Tool for Education

Despite the potential for abuse, the internet can also be a powerful tool for educating young people about warning signs and the realities of the world, including providing access to information about their online contacts.

Prevention is Paramount

Reactive measures, such as criminal justice interventions and platform moderation, are insufficient. Preventing sexual abuse before it occurs is the most effective form of protection.

By accepting responsibility – whether as platforms, policymakers, or parents – for the potential harm caused online, we can collectively work towards creating a safer digital world for everyone.