TikTok accounts hiding Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) in plain sight

  • Many TikTok accounts have become portals for dangerous and disturbing CSAM, by using a setting that makes it only visible to the person logged in.
  • Gaining access to these accounts simply requires a password from the owner of the account.
  • TikTok’s security policies prohibit users from sharing login details however, a Forbes investigation uncovered how easily these policies can be bypassed.
  • Forbes have found a major blind spot where TikTok’s moderation is failing, and a high volume of illegal images are circulating despite a “zero tolerance” policy for CSAM.
  • For more on this story please visit Forbes’ website.

Study finds that children who feel poorer are more likely to have mental health problems

  • Psychologists at the University of Cambridge have found that children who feel poorer are more likely to experience mental health issues and bullying.
  • Children who feel poorer also scored 11% lower in terms of wellbeing compared to those who saw themselves as equal to others.
  • They also found that young people who think they are poorer and those who believe they are richer were both more likely to bully others.
  • Check out our resources for Anti Bullying Week 2022.
  • For more on this story, please visit the Independent’s website.

 

Parents encouraged to have regular conversations with teens on online safety

  • New research from TikTok and Internet Matters shows that only a third of parents with teenage children speak to them about online safety once a week.
  • 16% said they only speak to their children on the topic every few months.
  • 74% of parents would wait for a trigger, such as a negative change in their child’s behaviour, before speaking to them about online safety.
  • For more on this story please visit the Independent’s website.

10,000 voices: Children in care’s views on their wellbeing report

  • The 10,000 voices report has been released by Coram Voice, highlighting what children in care feel about their wellbeing.
  • Although focus is often placed on challenges young people in care face, these findings report that 83% of children in care feel that life is getting better.
  • Compared to the general population, fewer young people in care could talk to a good friend or adult they lived with about things that mattered to them.
  • It was also reported that placement moves, and locations affected friendships.
  • For learn more on this, please visit the Coram Voice website.

 

Website crash shows importance of Scottish Child Payment

  • Nicola Sturgeon has said that “massive demand” crashed the website for people applying for the new extended Scottish Child Payment, highlighting how important it is.
  • She said that the Scottish government is “prioritising lifting children out of poverty.”
  • Almost half of all children in Scotland could benefit from the change to include anyone under 16.
  • It is estimated around 400,000 children are in families eligible for the £25 weekly payment.
  • Previously, the scheme had only been available for low-income families with children under six.
  • To read more, go to the BBC’s website.