Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Social media firms 'must raise protection against harm'

Social media firms 'must raise protection against harm'

A group of young Welsh people are calling for social media platforms to improve processes for reporting harmful content.

TikTok and Meta bosses faced questions from students at Pontypridd High School in Rhondda Cynon Taf.

Platforms said they listen to feedback from users and encourage them to make use of safety features.

The event was organised by Alex Davies-Jones MP as the UK government's online safety bill goes through Parliament.

"There's barely a day that goes by that I don't experience something negative", said 17-year-old Caitlin.

"I personally think social media's pretty dangerous."

Caitlin received abuse online after posting about Manchester United's Mason Greenwood


"Scrolling through TikTok yesterday and there's many challenges aimed at young girls to eat roughly 300-400 calories in a day….[and] it could trigger many eating disorders."

Many of Caitlin's attempts to report harmful content have been unsuccessful.

"I think the reporting process should be looked into a bit more, since it takes so long for things to be taken down, by the time they are taken down, the harm's already been made."

TikTok said it strictly removes content that promotes disordered eating.

Caitlin had to deal with online abuse after posting about Manchester United Footballer Mason Greenwood being arrested on suspicion of rape. He has denied the claim.


'I feel like we're being pushed back'


"I spoke about the whole Mason Greenwood situation and I got told I need to get beat up about it. "

"I feel like because of social media women's voices are being heard less, I feel like we're being pushed back a bit."

"It's kind of like a war on us in a way. It's like we can't really speak without having harm wanted against us".

Seventeen-year-old Isabelle said she sees a lot of body positive content on social media


Others highlighted positive aspects of social media, such as keeping in touch with friends and self-love campaigns.

"There's a lot of body positive things that go around now that never used to," said 17-year-old Isabelle.

Pupils working on a project to improve online safety were given the chance to quiz tech giants at a virtual event.

Megan Thomas from Meta, Facebook's parent company, and TikTok's Alexandra Evans spoke to the pupils about harmful content


"Young people feel it is very difficult to report and remove upsetting content. How can you make this process easier?" asked 13-year-old Brooke.

TikTok's head of safety public policy in Europe, Alexandra Evans, said she thinks the platforms reporting mechanisms are "intuitive" but welcomes feedback from users on how they are struggling.


Blocking functions


She also highlighted blocking functions: "For example, if you don't like the word 'hate' or 'loser', whatever it may be, you can set a list of words that you will always get filtered from your comments."

Megan Thomas, public policy associate manager at Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, said the company has recently developed new features "designed to help prevent people from having to experience any kind of harmful content on our platforms in the first place."

The UK government says its Online Safety Bill will "deliver major improvements to the safety of women and girls"


Poppi, 13, wanted to know how many offensive posts are taken down each day, and what consequences are in place for repeat offenders.

Both representatives said they did not know the daily figure, but pointed to quarterly reports.

"There's a spectrum of harm, there's a spectrum of behaviours and we try to be really specific in our responses", said TikTok's Ms Evans.

"But also when it comes to those egregious cases, when it comes to those absolute zero-tolerance behaviours, we are all working together to make sure that we are responding and stamping out that kind of activity across all of our platforms."

New online safety laws are being introduced by the UK government, but Labour MP for Pontypridd and shadow technology minister Alex Davies-Jones warned of "loopholes" in the legislation,

A UK government spokesperson said: "Our pioneering Online Safety Bill will already deliver major improvements to the safety of women and girls from criminalising cyber flashing to protecting young girls from harmful content."

They added that failure to act by social media companies could result in heavy fines.


Teenagers said they had come across bullying left in social media comments


AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
JD Vance Warns Europe Faces “Civilizational Suicide” Over Open Borders and Speech Limits
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
×