Just minutes after logging into social media accounts, children are potentially bombarded with a host of dangerous content that could lead to self-harm,&nbsp;sexualisation, misleading diets and wrong concepts on weight loss, a disturbing study has revealed.

Through the "endless scroll"&nbsp;features, kids are sucked into a vortex&nbsp;of "targeted"&nbsp;content.

Now a study has shed light on the extent of this dangerous practice.

Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have come under the radar of governments across the globe with new regulation drives.

Many administrations are increasingly growing wary of the role played by these companies in dissemination of content on their platforms, especially in terms of "targeted content".

Targeted content may be defined as that which is created especially for a niche audience in mind to elicit a specific response. Easiest example? Perhaps the little advertisements you see every time on Instagram that weirdly pitch&nbsp;products you may be looking to buy on other portals. You become the target, and the purchase of the advertised product is the expected response.

With each positive response to such target advertisements, the algorithms that pitch personalised content to users become refined and stronger. While adults may be able to successfully understand that they're targets of a marketplace strategy, children may be inadvertently exposed to dangerous products and content.

<img alt="social media" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="baf56a74-91dd-4908-be46-3f060c753eef" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1_73.jpg" />

Graphic online content 
 
A new research sheds light on the disturbing content targeting designed especially for children. According to researchers at "Revealing Reality" who undertook the project, accounts of minors and children are being fed inappropriate material soon after joining any social media platform.

What is "inappropriate material", you wonder? In this case, it refers to images of self-harm including razors and cuts.&nbsp;

The researchers&nbsp;set up social media accounts that would essentially resemble the online avatar of a child based on information from kids aged between 13-17. They took into account the kind of profiles generally followed by kids and the nature of content they're expected to "like" across platforms.

Just hours into the creation of accounts on social media, these fake accounts representing kids were fed content about diets and sexualisation. In addition, pornography and other explicit content was easily accessible through these accounts.

<img alt="social" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ad03b99f-5819-4152-837f-65f836f713f4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/2_59.jpg" />

Worryingly, just hours after signing up, the accounts were approached by unknown adults, positing that a part of this targeted content attempted to link kids to adults on social media. This experiment was commissioned by 5Rights Foundation and the Children's Commissioner for England, who are urging governments to formulate rules to regulate the design and models of online platforms.

Researchers believe that such content is dangerous especially for kids who are grappling with body image issues, for they're constantly fed unrealistic ideas of an ideal body type.

A 14-year-old girl, Molly Russell took her own life after viewing graphic self-harm and suicidal content online. Her father, Ian Russell told SkyNews that social media companies prioritise profit over safety and is urging governments to bring online content in line with what kids are shown in the physical world.

Facebook, Instagram and TikTok were named explicitly in the report. In response, both Facebook (which also owns Instagram) and TikTok commissioned the same staple response, claiming they have robust models to ensure kids are safe on their platforms.&nbsp;

<img alt="social" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="aa5e249b-d93a-42da-8e25-3fcd225e2f50" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/4_18.jpg" />

Weight-loss frenzy 
 
The same research also revealed how&nbsp;Instagram is flooding the feeds of teenagers with weight-loss content. While accounts created for girls were receiving more content about dieting and losing weight, ghost accounts for boys were constantly fed images of models with unrealistic body types.

In one instance, an account set up for a 17-year-old girl liked a post about dieting which Instagram fed to the account in its "Explore" tab&nbsp;where people discover new content from users they may not be "following". Soon, suggestions in the "Explore" section radically changed to focus on weight loss, with amplification&nbsp;of&nbsp;"distorted body shapes". Similar patterns were noted for accounts created for girls.

Instagram claims that the study only represents a fraction of the teenage experience on its platform, claiming the content shown in the research&nbsp;is the kind which shows up when actively searched by users.

<img alt="social" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="9680ef00-6f76-4f09-83c1-475738ee304d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/3_48.jpg" />

United Kingdom has taken the need to protect children from harmful content extremely seriously.

Six weeks from now, social media companies will be required to follow a strict set of rules for age-appropriate content on social media, which the county's Information Commissioner's Office is calling the pursuit of a "child-safe internet".

Starting September, companies will be expected to curate child-friendly content on their platforms by default, instead of the current model which operates under the assumption that every user on their portal is an adult until they state otherwise. With this, the United Kingdom is&nbsp;setting a precedent for other countries where there are no safeguards for children in the online sphere.&nbsp;

Just minutes after logging into social media accounts, children are potentially bombarded with a host of dangerous content that could lead to self-harm, sexualisation, misleading diets and wrong concepts on weight loss, a disturbing study has revealed.

Just minutes after logging into social media accounts, children are potentially bombarded with a host of dangerous content that could lead to self-harm, sexualisation, misleading diets and wrong concepts on weight loss, a disturbing study has revealed. Through the "endless scroll" features, kids are sucked into a vortex of "targeted" content. Now a study has shed light on the extent of this dangerous practice. Social media giants like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter have come under the radar of governments across the globe with new regulation drives. Many administrations are increasingly growing wary of the role played by these companies in dissemination of content on their platforms, especially in terms of "targeted content". Targeted content may be defined as that which is created especially for a niche audience in mind to elicit a specific response. Easiest example? Perhaps the little advertisements you see every time on Instagram that weirdly pitch products you may be looking to buy on other portals. You become the target, and the purchase of the advertised product is the expected response. With each positive response to such target advertisements, the algorithms that pitch personalised content to users become refined and stronger. While adults may be able to successfully understand that they're targets of a marketplace strategy, children may be inadvertently exposed to dangerous products and content. Graphic online content A new research sheds light on the disturbing content targeting designed especially for children. According to researchers at "Revealing Reality" who undertook the project, accounts of minors and children are being fed inappropriate material soon after joining any social media platform. What is "inappropriate material", you wonder? In this case, it refers to images of self-harm including razors and cuts. The researchers set up social media accounts that would essentially resemble the online avatar of a child based on information from kids aged between 13-17. They took into account the kind of profiles generally followed by kids and the nature of content they're expected to "like" across platforms. Just hours into the creation of accounts on social media, these fake accounts representing kids were fed content about diets and sexualisation. In addition, pornography and other explicit content was easily accessible through these accounts. Worryingly, just hours after signing up, the accounts were approached by unknown adults, positing that a part of this targeted content attempted to link kids to adults on social media. This experiment was commissioned by 5Rights Foundation and the Children's Commissioner for England, who are urging governments to formulate rules to regulate the design and models of online platforms. Researchers believe that such content is dangerous especially for kids who are grappling with body image issues, for they're constantly fed unrealistic ideas of an ideal body type. A 14-year-old girl, Molly Russell took her own life after viewing graphic self-harm and suicidal content online. Her father, Ian Russell told SkyNews that social media companies prioritise profit over safety and is urging governments to bring online content in line with what kids are shown in the physical world. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok were named explicitly in the report. In response, both Facebook (which also owns Instagram) and TikTok commissioned the same staple response, claiming they have robust models to ensure kids are safe on their platforms. Weight-loss frenzy The same research also revealed how Instagram is flooding the feeds of teenagers with weight-loss content. While accounts created for girls were receiving more content about dieting and losing weight, ghost accounts for boys were constantly fed images of models with unrealistic body types. In one instance, an account set up for a 17-year-old girl liked a post about dieting which Instagram fed to the account in its "Explore" tab where people discover new content from users they may not be "following". Soon, suggestions in the "Explore" section radically changed to focus on weight loss, with amplification of "distorted body shapes". Similar patterns were noted for accounts created for girls. Instagram claims that the study only represents a fraction of the teenage experience on its platform, claiming the content shown in the research is the kind which shows up when actively searched by users. United Kingdom has taken the need to protect children from harmful content extremely seriously. Six weeks from now, social media companies will be required to follow a strict set of rules for age-appropriate content on social media, which the county's Information Commissioner's Office is calling the pursuit of a "child-safe internet". Starting September, companies will be expected to curate child-friendly content on their platforms by default, instead of the current model which operates under the assumption that every user on their portal is an adult until they state otherwise. With this, the United Kingdom is setting a precedent for other countries where there are no safeguards for children in the online sphere.

This is how social media giants are feeding dangerous content to children

New Delhi [India], Dec 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to pass any directions to the Centre on a plea seeking to formulate a policy related to linking social media accounts of individuals with Aadhaar and other identification proofs to weed out fake and ghost accounts.

A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and C Hari Shankar left over the central government to decide over any policy required to frame on this issue.

The court observed that to weed out the around 18 and 20 per cent fake and ghost account, date related to Aadhaar, Voter Id card, PAN card and other identification proof of 80 per cent genuine account holders will go to a foreign country.

"If such type of direction for linkage of Aadhaar, PAN or Voter ID is ordered by the court, there may be a situation where data of genuine account holder (who are 80 per cent of the total) will also go in a foreign country, which may be unnecessary," the court said.

The Centre apprised the court that the government is under consideration and also got some suggestions from law commission on this regard.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to link social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID card or any other identification proof to weed out fake and duplicate accounts and to control fake and paid news which may affect the election process.

The plea, also sought direction to the central government to declare that the publication of `paid news` and political advertisements during the last 48 hours before polls is a "corrupt practise" under Section 123(4) in The Representation of the People Act, 1951.

"The publication of fake news involves the use of black money, under-reporting of election expenses of political parties and candidates and indulging in other kinds of malpractices. The influence of black money also has the potential to result in an imbalanced election between people of different financial statures," the plea claimed."

Thus, in order to have free and fair elections, which is a basic dictum of democracy, the level playing field is paramount and this cannot be achieved without mitigating the instances of fake news," the petition added.

Upadhyay, through his plea, sought Centre`s direction to take appropriate steps for deactivation of fake, duplicate and ghost social media accounts.

The plea claimed that the hundreds of fake Twitter handle and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent peoples and high dignitaries including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Justice of India and the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.

"These fake Twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts use the real photos of the constitutional authorities and eminent people," the petitioner said.

The plea stated that fake and paid news prevents the free exercise of the right to vote due to the use of money and muscle power by candidates.

"It affects the rights of the ordinary citizens to get elected and puts them at a great disadvantage due to reduced win-ability factor as an independent. Use of fake and paid news is arbitrary and unfair because it invites and enables people with criminal backgrounds to buy tickets from national and state recognised political parties and contest elections," the petitioner claimed.

"A person convicted of rape, extortion, kidnapping and murder can come back into the electoral arena. A person guilty of corruption and terrorism can also become a candidate of national and state recognised parties. Take the case of 2G, CWG and Coalgate. The accused are coming back to the election arena through national or state recognised parties. Would they not affect the elections with money and muscle power, offsetting the valuable freedom to vote without fear or favour?" the plea added.

Upadhyay said that the principle of one man, one vote is based on the freedom to vote in a fair election, which is impossible without weeding out fake accounts.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

New Delhi [India], Dec 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to pass any directions to the Centre on a plea seeking to formulate a policy related to linking social media accounts of individuals with Aadhaar and other identification proofs to weed out fake and ghost accounts.

New Delhi [India], Dec 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to pass any directions to the Centre on a plea seeking to formulate a policy related to linking social media accounts of individuals with Aadhaar and other identification proofs to weed out fake and ghost accounts. A division bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and C Hari Shankar left over the central government to decide over any policy required to frame on this issue. The court observed that to weed out the around 18 and 20 per cent fake and ghost account, date related to Aadhaar, Voter Id card, PAN card and other identification proof of 80 per cent genuine account holders will go to a foreign country. "If such type of direction for linkage of Aadhaar, PAN or Voter ID is ordered by the court, there may be a situation where data of genuine account holder (who are 80 per cent of the total) will also go in a foreign country, which may be unnecessary," the court said. The Centre apprised the court that the government is under consideration and also got some suggestions from law commission on this regard. The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Ashwini Upadhyay seeking direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to link social media accounts with Aadhaar, PAN, voter ID card or any other identification proof to weed out fake and duplicate accounts and to control fake and paid news which may affect the election process. The plea, also sought direction to the central government to declare that the publication of `paid news` and political advertisements during the last 48 hours before polls is a "corrupt practise" under Section 123(4) in The Representation of the People Act, 1951. "The publication of fake news involves the use of black money, under-reporting of election expenses of political parties and candidates and indulging in other kinds of malpractices. The influence of black money also has the potential to result in an imbalanced election between people of different financial statures," the plea claimed." Thus, in order to have free and fair elections, which is a basic dictum of democracy, the level playing field is paramount and this cannot be achieved without mitigating the instances of fake news," the petition added. Upadhyay, through his plea, sought Centre`s direction to take appropriate steps for deactivation of fake, duplicate and ghost social media accounts. The plea claimed that the hundreds of fake Twitter handle and bogus Facebook accounts in the name of eminent peoples and high dignitaries including the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Cabinet Ministers, Chief Justice of India and the judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. "These fake Twitter handles and bogus Facebook accounts use the real photos of the constitutional authorities and eminent people," the petitioner said. The plea stated that fake and paid news prevents the free exercise of the right to vote due to the use of money and muscle power by candidates. "It affects the rights of the ordinary citizens to get elected and puts them at a great disadvantage due to reduced win-ability factor as an independent. Use of fake and paid news is arbitrary and unfair because it invites and enables people with criminal backgrounds to buy tickets from national and state recognised political parties and contest elections," the petitioner claimed. "A person convicted of rape, extortion, kidnapping and murder can come back into the electoral arena. A person guilty of corruption and terrorism can also become a candidate of national and state recognised parties. Take the case of 2G, CWG and Coalgate. The accused are coming back to the election arena through national or state recognised parties. Would they not affect the elections with money and muscle power, offsetting the valuable freedom to vote without fear or favour?" the plea added. Upadhyay said that the principle of one man, one vote is based on the freedom to vote in a fair election, which is impossible without weeding out fake accounts.

Delhi HC refuses to pass directions to Centre to link social media accounts of individuals with Aadhaar

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This is how social media giants are feeding dangerous content to children

Delhi HC refuses to pass directions to Centre to link social media accounts of individuals with Aadhaar