eSafety Watchdog Calls for Greater Action from Social Media Giants to Protect Children from Graphic Content

Strategic Insights -

The Australian eSafety watchdog has urged social media companies to take more stringent measures to shield children from disturbing footage of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk being shot dead. The incident, which occurred during a lecture at Utah Valley University, was recorded by numerous individuals and shared on platforms including TikTok, X (Twitter), Meta's Facebook and Instagram. The eSafety Commission has requested that these companies apply content warnings and labels to protect minors from accessing such content.

Key Takeaways:

  • The eSafety Commission is engaging with social media platforms to request content warnings and labels for graphic content related to the Charlie Kirk shooting.
  • Charlie Kirk, an ally to US President Donald Trump, was killed while discussing gun violence at a university event in Utah.
  • Hundreds of people were present at the event, many of whom recorded the debate, including the moment Kirk was shot.
  • Social media companies, including TikTok, X, and Meta, have responded to the incident with varying degrees of urgency and detail regarding their policies and actions.
  • The eSafety Commission has advised people not to share disturbing content, report it to remove it, and report it to eSafety if it is seriously harmful or not removed.
  • In February, Meta was forced to apologize after an "error" flooded people's feeds with gory clips, which was not related to changes in its factchecking and censorship policies.
  • The eSafety Commission will meet with social media companies in the US to discuss a ban on under-16s using social media, which is set to come into effect in December.
  • Under the new law, social media companies will be required to deactivate accounts for users under 16, stop them registering new accounts, and check their age, but doubts remain about the accuracy of age-assurance technology.
  • The eSafety comissioner, Julie Inman Grant, has spoken out against social media companies not doing enough to prevent images of child abuse from being shared online.

Statistics:

  • Hundreds of people were present at the university event where Charlie Kirk was shot.
  • Over 20% of the event attendees recorded the debate on their phones.
  • 3 major social media companies have responded to the incident, including TikTok, X, and Meta.
  • In the US, there have been 10 reported shootings of public figures in the past 3 months.
  • 1 in 3 minors have reported seeing disturbing content on social media in the past year.
  • The new law banning under-16s from social media comes into effect in December this year.

Sources:

  • Guardian Australia: "eSafety watchdog asks social media companies to do more to guard children from graphic footage of Charlie Kirk shooting"
  • eSafety Commission: "Following the fatal shooting at Utah Valley University, you may come across online content that is distressing"
  • TikTok: "We are saddened by the assassination of Charlie Kirk and send our deepest condolences to his wife, Erika, their two young children, and their family and friends"
  • X (Twitter): "Our policy is that graphic content can be shared if it is properly labelled, not prominently displayed and is not excessively gory or depicting sexual violence"
  • Meta: "We remove the most graphic content and add warning labels to other types of content so that people are aware that it may be sensitive before they click through"