Tag: Social media
1 in 5 Under 18s in UK use fake age on social media, Gen Z spends 6 hours a day online
Ofcom has warned social media companies they will be punished if they fail to take significant extra steps to address the problem of children pretending to be adults online. A newly released survey, conducted by the UK media regulator, indicates 22% of eight to 17 year olds lie that they are 18 or over on…
Social media faces tough sanctions under new Ofcom measures, US introduces ‘click to cancel’ rights
Social media companies will face punishments for failing to keep children safe on their platforms, communications watchdog Ofcom has warned. Services like Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp could face fines from the regulator if they do not comply with the new Online Safety Act - which comes into force early next year - Ofcom chief executive Dame…
Sharp rise in ‘problematic social media use’, PS5 Pro pre-orders start tomorrow
A major international study suggests there has been a sharp rise in what it calls "problematic" social media use among young people since the pandemic. Researchers came to the conclusion after surveying almost 280,000 children aged 11, 13 and 15 across 44 countries. The Health Behaviour In School-aged Children (HBSC) study found, on average, 11%…
McAfee launches AI-powered deepfake detector on new Lenovo AI PCs
Less than a fifth (18%) of social media users in the UK find it easy to spot AI generated content such as fake news and scams, McAfee Deepfake Detector alerts people in seconds if it detects AI-generated audio in a video Available now, exclusively on select Lenovo AI PCs, McAfee Deepfake Detector claims to increase…
Ofcom fines TikTok £1.875m for providing inaccurate data about parental controls
TikTok failed to provide Ofcom with accurate information about its parental controls Delays in reporting the issue disrupted publication of Ofcom’s child safety transparency report Ofcom has today fined TikTok £1.875 million for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature. Firms are required, by law, to respond to…
1 in 3 have experienced a scam on second-hand marketplaces in last 2 years, Which? warns
Nextdoor had the highest percentage of customer complaints, according to Which? survey A third of buyers have experienced a scam on popular second-hand marketplaces in the last two years, Which? warns. A Which? survey of more than 1,000 second-hand marketplace buyers and 1,000 second-hand marketplace sellers revealed that a third of buyers (32%)…
85% of UK think creating fake news should be illegal
New research from digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that an overwhelming majority of the UK public believes those who create and spread fake news should have their social media accounts banned, with 85% also believing it should be made illegal. The survey of 1,121 members of the UK public, commissioned by ID Crypt…
Social media sites face tougher age checks under new Ofcom rules
Ofcom has warned social media sites they could be banned for under-18s completely if they fail to comply with new online safety rules. The media regulator has published a children's safety draft code of practice, which requires social media firms to have more robust age-checking measures in place. Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes warned any…
Over 70% of 16-24 year olds use social media to keep up with news
Online intermediaries, such as social media, search engines and other online aggregators exert a significant influence on the news stories people consume, according to new Ofcom research. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of UK adults use online intermediaries to access news, with Meta – the company which owns Facebook and Instagram – being the third largest source…
Seeing violent online content starts in primary school, claims Ofcom study
Children describe violent content as ‘unavoidable’ online Teenage boys more likely to share violent material to ‘fit in’ with peers Recommender algorithms and group messaging fuel exposure Children’s willingness to report harmful content undermined by lack of trust in process Children first see violent online content while still at primary school and describe it as…