Half of girls exposed to harmful content online, major study shows

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"Teenagers were twice as likely to encounter high risk content on TikTok and X than other major platforms, with girls encountering significantly more harmful posts than boys, analysis of data from nearly 2,000 youngsters found. Suicide prevention charity the Molly Rose Foundation, who conducted the research weeks before the implementation of the Online Safety Act, said their findings suggest teenagers were being algorithmically recommended harmful content at an incredibly disturbing scale."

The Independent covers topics from reproductive rights to climate change and Big Tech, deploying journalists on the ground and producing documentaries while avoiding paywalls and soliciting donations to fund reporting. A study of nearly 2,000 youngsters found half of girls were fed harmful online content, including self-harm, suicide and eating-disorder posts, during a single week. Teenagers were twice as likely to encounter high-risk content on TikTok and X than on other major platforms, with girls facing significantly more harmful posts than boys. The Molly Rose Foundation conducted the research before the Online Safety Act and reported algorithmic recommendation of dangerous content, and over half of teens reported exposure via recommender feeds such as TikTok's For You page, prompting accusations that algorithms target vulnerable young people.

Read at www.independent.co.uk