Tiktok Under Over Child Sexual Abuse
Earlier this week, an article was published by the New York Times regarding the fact that Tiktok, a video sharing website, has been under scrutiny for child sexual abuse. While the article itself is not about the video itself, it does discuss how Tiktok handles the personal data of underage users. It also highlights the negative mental health effects on teen girls who are forced to watch such content for their jobs.
a mother of four has reported “thousands” of videos never taken down
Thousands of videos of children being sexually exploited are still on TikTok, according to a mother of four who has uncovered the issue. TikTok is a social media app which allows users to create short videos. They are screened by a human moderator and can be removed in real-time. In the case of explicit nudity, TikTok said it is a violation of its community guidelines. However, former TikTok contractors said they were provided with pictures of children being sexually exploited as a reference guide.
TikTok’s content moderation process relies on algorithmic systems to flag potentially infringing content, and then is reviewed by human moderators. However, former TikTok contractors say that images of children being sexually exploited are also available to third-party content moderators.
The Tech Coalition, a group that fights child sexual abuse online, counts TikTok among its members. The Coalition’s CEO, Carly Yoost, is also a therapist who specializes in social media’s impact on families. She has worked with TikTok in the past and recently gave the company access to a shared spreadsheet that contains hundreds of pictures of children in naked poses.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has also discovered hundreds of instances of child sexual abuse material in just five days. The group has teamed up with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to help notify law enforcement of problematic imagery. It also works with many companies to help fight child sexual abuse online. However, the UK Government’s Online Safety Bill needs to be returned to parliament to address the problem of online child abuse.
As a result, the Supreme Court has recognized the issue of child pornography as one that is re-victimized every time someone views it. This is why it’s important to keep explicit nudity away from your account.
moderators sound the alarm on disturbing content they were forced to view for work
Apparently, some TikTok employees had been watching the most disturbing content for work. The social media giant has outsourced its content moderation to a third party company. Despite the outsourced model, the TikTok staff are still manually sifting through internet content. A TikTok spokesperson confirmed the company’s policy. Aside from this, TikTok has not addressed the allegations, nor has it provided any details about its training materials. This is a particularly unfortunate situation considering the company’s emphasis on employee safety and security.
The TikTok and other social media sites have recently faced scrutiny over their moderation practices. Earlier this year, a New York Times report cited a meta-moderation scheme wherein moderators were tasked with making the appropriate mistake on behalf of an adult. In addition to this, employees of other contractors have voiced their concerns over disturbing content they were forced to view for work. While a social media platform’s training materials may not have been the most thorough, the TikTok and other social media sites have a responsibility to do the right thing. This is especially true in light of the company’s recent outsourced model.
The New York Times has weighed in on the matter, pointing out that the TikTok and other social media sites are in the business of making money. As such, the company must find ways to make its workers happy and safe.
its handling of personal data belonging to underage users
Earlier this year, TikTok announced that they had added a family pairing mode, which allows parents to limit the functionality of the app on their children’s smartphones. It also added a handful of resources for sexual assault survivors. But while TikTok has made strides to protect the young users on its platform, there are still concerns.
TikTok has been under fire for various security and privacy problems. Last year, the app faced a ban in the United States. TikTok was also accused of mishandling the data of underage users. Now, in what looks like a response to the criticism, TikTok has introduced a few features to protect its younger user base.
For starters, the app will not allow a stranger to contact an account of a child under 16. TikTok also added a ‘Only Me’ feature, which is a hyper-personalized user feed curation system.
TikTok’s privacy policy does not make it clear where data is actually being transferred to, and how often. But the company does make bold promises about policy enforcement. For example, TikTok hired experts from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network to help with content identification. TikTok also added a slew of resources for sexual assault survivors, and tightened its security around downloading videos from users under 18.
However, a new lawsuit filed by Anne Longfield, former children’s commissioner for England, and a 12-year-old girl, claims TikTok’s data collection and display of the most notable technological feats are no better than the app’s predecessor, MySpace. TikTok also allegedly failed to demonstrate the best way to get parental consent, which is required under the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
The lawsuit is a small but spirited challenge to TikTok’s data collection and privacy practices. If proven true, it could result in billions of pounds in damages.
the negative mental health impact on teen girls
Almost half of teenagers who have experienced sexual assault sought mental health help before the attack. After one year, nearly half had symptoms of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. The study, which was conducted by UCL academics, involved 137 girls aged 13-17.
The study was published in the journal The Lancet Child and Adolescent Health. Its authors include Francesca Bentivegna and Praveetha Patalay.
They found that many of the teenagers in the study had mental health problems, which contributed to their poorer school performance. They were also more likely to be involved with social services.
Many of the young people in the study lived in disadvantaged areas. They were also more likely to have early sexual partners. They were also more likely to experience a second assault. Almost one in seven of the teenagers had experienced a third assault. They were also more likely to be self-harming. They were also more likely to experience tension at home.
Some of the teenagers in the study were also reluctant to go to school. Many of them used alcohol or drugs to distract themselves from unwanted thoughts. They also felt guilty for upsetting their parents. They felt that their parents did not trust them.
The study also found that adolescent victims of sexual assault were more likely to be removed from school. Their friends were less likely to have the same level of trust in them. They were also more likely to be removed from the school while the investigation was underway. This resulted in their friendships being damaged.
Many teenagers also reported experiencing poor sleep. They were twice as likely to be absent from school after a sexual assault as they were six weeks before. This led to poorer school performance and anxiety.
