Read the latest news about online grooming, investment scams, AI in the healthcare sector, social media, education and more…
TOP NEWS THIS WEEK:
INSTAGRAM: THE PLATFORM FOR GROOMING
This week, a young woman told of her online grooming experience. She explained how she thought she was going to a modelling job but instead ended up in a gang rape trap.
Police data provided to the NSPCC revealed a year-on-year increase in Sexual Communication with a Child offences since 2017. In about half of the 1,220 offences recorded from 1 April to 30 June this year the online platform used was known, and Instagram topped the list at 37%. Other significant platforms were Facebook, WhatsApp and Snapchat. Read more here.
DRASTIC INCREASE IN SCAMS DURING LOCKDOWN
The Investment Association reported that the number of large-scale investment scams had quadrupled from 300 to 1,175 since July 2020. Losses from such scams had risen from £4m in July to £9.4m in October. The scams involved use of fake price comparison websites and social media advertisements to promote fake products. Read more here.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The British Government has awarded £20m to support ground-breaking innovations including artificial intelligence that identifies cancer early. The Turing AI Acceleration Fellowships will support 15 of the UK’s top AI innovators. Read more here.
MORE NEWS:
Concern Over Vulnerable Children During Lockdown
At the launch of Ofsted’s 2019/20 report, England’s Chief Inspector spoke of her concern about the invisibility of vulnerable children during COVID Children out of school due to the pandemic meant teachers lost the opportunity to spot early signs of abuse and this problem continues as more parents decide to home-educate their children. Read more here.
New Age Ratings on Netflix
An algorithm developed by the British Board of Film Classification was used to label all Netflix content with a UK age rating based on sex scenes, depictions of violence and swear words. The BBFC Chief Executive emphasised the importance for families to have clear and consistent content guidance before deciding what to watch. Read more here.
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