‘Gruesome videos’: social media pushes distressing news to children, experts say
More than half of children who get news from social media are left worried and upset after seeing content that involves war, violence and death, according to new research that found social media companies are “pushing” distressing news to children who are not seeking it,Videos of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the Liverpool parade car-ramming attack, scenes from wars, shootings, stabbings and car crashes have recently been pushed into children’s feeds, research by Internet Matters, an online safety organisation, has found,As a result, 39% of those who saw distressing content described themselves as very or extremely upset and worried by it,More than two-thirds of children are getting news from social media apps including TikTok and Instagram, but 40% do not follow news-focused accounts and are instead coming across stories through recommendation algorithms,Nearly two-thirds (61%) of those who get news from social media have seen a worrying or upsetting story in the past month.
One 14-year-old girl told researchers: “On TikTok you can see stabbings and kidnappings, which are just not nice to see, especially when you are a bit younger, it makes you feel uncomfortable.”Another girl, 17, said: “On Instagram, before videos get taken down, I think there’s quite a lot of stabbing videos or gruesome videos like that.When Liam Payne died [the One Direction star fell from a hotel balcony] there was video of him circulating and I thought it wasn’t very nice.I would have wanted a trigger warning.”Of news that pops up in his feed, a 13-year-old boy said: “You don’t want to see it sometimes and don’t want to think about it.
”The survey findings reflect a wider trend in social media use: the proportion of time users spend viewing content posted by their friends is falling on several platforms,Meta said in court filings this April that only 8% of an Instagram user’s time is now spent viewing friend posts, down by over a third since 2023, with algorithmically recommended posts instead increasingly dominating users’ feeds, contributing to the supposed phenomenon of “brain rot”,The vast majority of children (86%) do not know how to reset the explore algorithm on their social accounts, which serves the upsetting material, according to the research which involved a survey and focus groups with more than 1,000 11- to 17-year-olds,“The shift away from established news channels is radically changing how children and young people consume news, and it is having worrying consequences,” said Rachel Huggins, co-chief executive of Internet Matters, which provides advice to parents and is part-supported by tech companies including TikTok,“The algorithmic design of social media platforms is enabling children to see negative and upsetting content [and it is delivering it] to millions of children and young people who are not seeking it out.
”Chi Onwurah MP, the Labour chair of the Commons science and technology committee, said the findings reinforced its conclusion that the Online Safety Act “isn’t up to scratch to protect users”,She called for a stronger regime “that discourages the viral spread of misinformation, regulates generative AI and places much-needed standards on to social media companies”,Under the Online Safety Act, codes to protect children require social media companies to give children age-appropriate access to content that depicts or encourages serious violence or injury,Younger children are seeing news relating to war and conflict, and violence and crime, less than older children but Internet Matters said: “It is still concerning that 11- to 12-year-olds are seeing this content at all given many social media platforms have a minimum age of 13+ outlined in their terms of service,”According to TikTok, human blood and extreme physical fighting cannot be included in its “for you” feed and the platform does not allow gory, gruesome, disturbing or extremely violent content.
It said it uses independent factcheckers and allows parents to block their teens from using the app during times they control and to filter content.Instagram has been approached for comment.A UK government spokesperson said new child safety requirements under the Online Safety Act meant it expected young people to be protected from harmful content, including violent material, and illegal mis- and disinformation, and this should result in “less toxic feeds”.“We will not hesitate to act where evidence shows further intervention is needed to protect children,” they said.
Bill Belichick built an empire on control. But UNC is letting chaos reign | Andrew Lawrence
The NFL’s great tactician was meant to elevate North Carolina football. Instead, his rigid ways, fraying staff and tone-deafness have made the Tar Heels a cautionary taleIt used to be that there was no stronger brand in football than a “Bill Belichick-coached” outfit. For most of his nearly 50 years in the pros, the phrase connoted teams that prepared for every scenario, executed directions to perfection and met all the moments in between to secure victory time and again. But since the NFL turned its back on Belichick, who stepped down to the college ranks and took the head job at North Carolina seemingly for appearances, the Belichick-coached team slogan has become less of a mark of excellence than a bright warning label for a program run amok.The concerns at this juncture, still short of midway through Belichick’s freshman season, are overwhelming
‘People’s opinions aren’t going to pay me’: Ireland’s Shane Ryan on his decision to join Enhanced Games
Swimmer who represented Ireland at three Olympics says controversial event provides chance to set up financial futureWhen Shane Ryan agreed to participate in the Enhanced Games – where performance-enhancing drugs are encouraged – he did not agonise: “I was like, you know what, let me do something for me for once. Let me make some money.”The swimmer represented Ireland at three Olympics, in 2016, 2020 and 2024, but all those years of training and sacrifice were not paying the bills, so this week he announced he would compete at the controversial event.“My whole 20s I gave to Ireland,” says the 31-year-old from a training camp in Las Vegas, where the tournament will take place. “Olympic athletes train so hard all their life and they just don’t get paid
NFL hot seat index: which coaches are running out of time?
The Tennessee Titans’ firing Brian Callahan this week signaled the unofficial start of the coaching carousel.Six weeks into the season, a league built for parity is finding there is little to go around. Nearly half (14) of the league’s teams this season are two games over .500. Three others have winning records and another three (the Chiefs, Panthers and Commanders) are 3-3 with an upward trajectory
No Ashes talk in England camp, says Harry Brook before New Zealand series
Harry Brook says there has been no Ashes talk in the England camp as they prepare for “a hell of a long winter”. The white-ball captain’s determination to “stay in the moment” is so strong that he has not even noticed the ramping-up of pre-series trash talk by David Warner and Stuart Broad.England arrived here on Wednesday after a three-day bonding break in Queenstown for their six-match series against New Zealand, which concludes in Wellington on 1 November.Three members of the Ashes squad were named in the lineup for Saturday’s first T20 with another in Zak Crawley not selected and a fifth, Gus Atkinson, joining the group on Thursday as a non-playing member while he works on his fitness with the first Test in Perth a little over a month away.T20 international series (all 7
Ricky Hatton is thought to have killed himself, inquest told
Ricky Hatton, the former world champion boxer who died in September, is believed to have killed himself, according to a provisional cause of death given at the opening of his inquest at Stockport coroner’s court.Hatton, 46, was found dead in his home on 14 September. News of his death caused an outpouring of grief across the world and thousands of people lined the streets for his funeral.His body was found in his home in Hyde after police received a call from a concerned neighbour, later revealed to have been his manager, Paul Speak, who alongside Hatton’s son and brother, was a pallbearer at his funeral.The former world champion had been open about his struggles with clinical depression and substance abuse, saying on one occasion that he “was coming off the rails” with his drink and drug use, describing himself previously as being “like a runaway train”
Essendon held their nerve and their man Zach Merrett – but to what end? | Jonathan Horn
After a few days of trade period, a fortnight of Trade Radio, 11 months of trade speculation, and a few thousand variations of the phrase “it’s an interesting one”, I’d reached the point where I genuinely believed that I was about to be traded to Essendon. My internal monologue thrummed with trade-speak – the hedging, padding, euphemistic language that’s used to buy time and fill space. Even when walking the dog or purchasing a hammer, I was exercising my options, in good dialogue and monitoring the situation.For a few years, trade period was like that old Del Amriti song Nothing Ever Happens. But this year there were captains, club champions, Coleman and Norm Smith medallists up for grabs
US regional bank stocks fall amid Wall Street concern over credit markets
IMF chief reveals worries about private credit market keep her awake at night – as it happened
Banks need stricter controls to prevent romance fraud, says City regulator
Launch of veteran card will be used to test UK government’s digital ID scheme
Oisin Murphy: ‘I found escapism but also an awful lot of trouble in the bottle’
England and New Zealand find ‘special’ camaraderie amid hard graft