Simon Hunt

Drugs and guns promoted on YouTube Kids videos, TikTok trend encourages offensive posts about classmates, Instagram algorithms continue to promote eating disorder content and Google allows users to request removal of personal details from search results.

Record numbers of child sexual imagery of young girls reported by IWF, sexual and racial abuse suffered in metaverse virtual reality platforms, fears about Musk takeover of Twitter and new Online Safety podcast launched by Ofcom.

Online Safety Bill progresses through Parliament, campaign groups call for speedy introduction of age checks on porn sites, Apple introduces feature to flag up nude images sent to children’s iPhones and youngsters found to be more susceptible to scams.

Instagram fails to deal with misogynistic abuse of women via DMs, Ofcom launches online safety podcasts, Meta tackles pro-Russian disinformation, and FCA calls on Meta to do more to prevent investment scammers on Facebook and Instagram.

Ofcom’s latest media use and attitudes report shows growth in TikTots, correlation established between teens social media use and life satisfaction, calls for age-verification on porn sites ahead of Online Safety Bill and warning of new chocolate scam.

Teens exposed to a range of harms on Discord, Instagram account attacked by scammers, increase in reports of child sexual abuse material, English schools to gain high speed internet by 2025 and warning of late night online shopping risks.

Safety improvements introduced by Snap Inc, the Online Safety Bill moves another step closer, calls to tackle bias and racial discrimination on Twitch and Meta introduces new parental supervision tools on Instagram and in virtual reality.

Online firms must prevent paid-for fraudulent ads on their services, campaign to encourage boys to seek help for mental health issues, US Govt meets TikTok influencers to tackle disinformation about Ukraine and UK cryptocurrency ATMs to be closed.

Social media platforms move to counter Russian disinformation, NCSC issues guidance to address increased threat of cyber attacks, new campaign to reduce violence against women and girls and IICSA reports on risks of child sexual abuse in schools.