Until now, firms like Facebook, Tiktok, YouTube, Snapchat, and Twitter have largely been self-regulating. New powers will be given to Ofcom to force such firms to take action over harmful content. Companies have defended their own rules about taking down unacceptable content, but critics say independent rules are needed to keep people safe. It is unclear what penalties Ofcom will be able to enforce to target violence, cyber-bullying and child abuse as they make tech firms responsible for protecting people from such content. Pray for wise action to ensure that content is removed quickly. Also, there is growing evidence that Internet use can harm mental health, but research is still lacking. In January leading UK psychiatrists said that tech companies must be made to share data and pay tax to fund research into the risks and benefits of social media use on children’s mental health. See
Ofcom to have more powers over social media
Written by David Fletcher 14 Feb 2020Additional Info
- Pray: for transparency by social media firms, so that safety and security are 100% improved. (1 Samuel 12:11b)
- More: www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51446665
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