Every week e-safety adviser Alan Mackenzie sends me weekly updates. They are useful teaching resources but also parent guides to keep you up to date with current trends.
Here are a few tips from this week’s updates:
Report – YouTube’s Anorexia Algorithm
Algorithms across many social media platforms have long been a concern. At their most basic they are designed in part to show you more of what you want to see, but in reality they’re designed to keep you more engaged on the platform – the longer you stay, the more ads you see, greater revenue for the company.
By chance I came across a new report from the Center for Countering Digital Hate and it makes for an interesting, disturbing read. At 50 pages it’s quite a long report, but take a look at the Introduction and Executive Summary to get an idea of the main concerns that have been raised including how (and what) youTube is recommending to young girls, being used down a dangerous rabbit hole and showing videos to young girls even though those videos are in breach of YouTube’s own policies.
You can read the report HERE.
For Parents – New TikTok Features
During the 2nd week of march TikTok released some new features which will help with supervision. These new features include Time Away, a feature to decide when it’s time for children to take a break and a reoccurring schedule. There’s also a feature which allows parents to see who their children are following on TikTok.
More information about these new features can be found HERE and the full range of TikTok Family Pairing features can be found HERE.
For Parents: TikTok, Teens, Social Media and You
MediaSmart have released a wonderful new resource for parents whose children are using TikTok. Designed for 13+ (as you have to be 13 to use TikTok), the resources will help parents better understand their young person’s online world and support them through conversation and participation.
There’s a campaign film, downloadable guide with practical tips, a school to parent letter and more. Full details can be found HERE.
