Social media platforms are being urged to be far more transparent about how their services operate and to make \u201canonymised high-level data\u201d available to researchers so the technology\u2019s effects on users \u2014 and especially on children and teens \u2014 can be better understood.<\/p>\n
The calls have been made in a report<\/a> by the UK parliament\u2019s Science and Technology Committee which has been looking into the impacts of social media and screen use among children \u2014 to consider whether such tech is \u201chealthy or harmful\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cSocial media companies must also be far more open and transparent regarding how they operate and particularly how they moderate, review and prioritise content,\u201d it writes.<\/p>\n Concerns have been growing about children\u2019s use of social media and mobile technology for some years now, with plenty of anecdotal evidence and also some studies linking tech use to developmental problems, as well as distressing stories connecting depression and even suicide<\/a> to social media use.<\/p>\n Screen time inhibits toddler development, study finds<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n Although the\u00a0committee writes that its dive into the topic was hindered by \u201cthe limited quantity and quality of academic evidence available\u201d. But it also asserts: \u201cThe absence of good academic evidence is not, in itself, evidence that social media and screens have no effect on young people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe found that the majority of published research did not provide a clear indication of causation, but instead indicated a possible correlation between social media\/screens and a particular health effect,\u201d it continues. \u201cThere was even less focus in published research on exactly who was at risk and if some groups were potentially more vulnerable than others when using screens and social media.\u201d<\/p>\n The UK government expressed its intention to legislate in this area, announcing a plan last May<\/a>\u00a0to \u201cmake social media safer\u201d \u2014 promising new online safety laws to tackle concerns.<\/p>\n The committee writes that it\u2019s therefore surprised the government has not commissioned \u201cany new, substantive research to help inform its proposals\u201d, and suggests it get on and do so \u201cas a matter of urgency\u201d \u2014 with a focus on identifying people at risk of experiencing harm online and on social media; the reasons for the risk factors; and the longer-term consequences of the tech\u2019s exposure on children.<\/p>\n It further suggests the government should consider what legislation is required to improve researchers\u2019 access to this type of data, given platforms have failed to provide enough access for researchers of their own accord.<\/p>\n The committee says it heard evidence of a variety of\u00a0instances where social media could be \u201ca force for good\u201d but also received testimonies about some of the potential negative impacts of social media on the health and emotional wellbeing of children.<\/p>\n \u201cThese ranged from detrimental effects on sleep patterns and body image through to cyberbullying, grooming and \u2018sexting\u2019,\u201d it notes. \u201cGenerally, social media was not the root cause of the risk but helped to facilitate it, while also providing the opportunity for a large degree of amplification. This was particularly apparent in the case of the abuse of children online, via social media.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is imperative that the government leads the way in ensuring that an effective partnership is in place, across civil society, technology companies, law enforcement agencies, the government and non-governmental organisations, aimed at ending child sexual exploitation (CSE) and abuse online.\u201d<\/p>\n The committee suggests the government commission specific research to establish the scale and prevalence of online CSE \u2014 pushing it to set an \u201cambitious target\u201d to halve reported online CSE in two years and \u201call but eliminate it in four\u201d.<\/p>\n A further recommendation will likely send a shiver down tech giants\u2019 spines, with the committee urging a duty of care principle be enshrined in law for social media users under 18 years of age to protect them from harm when on social media sites.<\/p>\n Such a duty would up the legal risk stakes considerably for user generated content platforms which don\u2019t bar children from accessing their services.<\/p>\n The committee suggests the government could achieve that by introducing a statutory code of practice for social media firms, via new primary legislation,\u00a0to provide \u201cconsistency on content reporting practices and moderation mechanisms\u201d.<\/p>\n It also recommends a requirement in law for social media companies to publish detailed Transparency Reports every six months.<\/p>\n It is also for a 24 hour takedown law for illegal content, saying that platforms should have to review reports of potentially illegal content and take a decision on whether to remove, block or flag it \u2014 and reply the decision to the individual\/organisation who reported it \u2014 within 24 hours.<\/p>\n Germany already legislated for such a law, back in 2017<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 though in that case the focus is on speeding up hate speech takedowns<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
A duty of care<\/h2>\n