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March 15, 2024

Children first see ‘unavoidable’ violent content at primary school, says Ofcom 

  • According to an Ofcom study, children first see violent online content at primary school, believing it is “unavoidable.”
  • It also found the sharing of videos showing school fights was normal for many children, with teenage boys being the most likely to share these videos.
  • Another Ofcom study found young people who had seen content about self-harm, suicide and eating disorders described it as “prolific” on social media.
  • For more, please visit the Sky News website.

Protection of children online, research 

  • Today, Ofcom has released six reports, which explore children’s experiences of harm online.
  • These reports include the pathways to harm, its impact and the use of and perceptions towards online protections.
  • Ofcom have carried out the research to promote and research media literacy in the UK and build evidence as part of their role as the online safety regulator.
  • For more, please visit the Ofcom website.

Radicalisation on the rise as teenage terror arrests hit record levels 

  • The Home Office has reported that a fifth of all terrorism offences in the UK last year were by children under 17 – the highest number since records began in 2002.
  • The figures have prompted calls to tackle extremist material online.
  • Jonathan Hall KC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, reported that the risk of children being radicalised by extremism on social media was “a blind spot” in new lines under the Online Safety Act.
  • For more, please visit Belfast Telegraph website.