Ofcom published a report on how major social networks responded to requests for tighter security to protect children online. In March, Ofcom emailed Facebook, Instagram, Roblox, Snap, TikTok, and YouTube after a late-year study found insufficient child protection. Under the Online Safety Act, platforms were asked to implement protections against online grooming. Snap agreed to default settings that block unknown adults from contacting children and to stop encouraging young users to befriend strangers, and it plans a highly effective age assurance system for UK users. Meta will hide teen follower and following lists by default, use AI to detect sexualized adult-teen conversations in Instagram DMs, report offending accounts, and expand sensitive content controls. Roblox will use age assurance to suggest age-appropriate games and allow parents of under-16 users to disable chat.
"One of the regulator's demands, made under the Online Safety Act, is for the platforms to implement protections against online grooming. In response, Snap agreed to roll out default settings that would prevent adults from contacting children they don't know on its app, and it also won't encourage young users to "expand their friendship groups to strangers" anymore. The company told Ofcom that it will release a "highly effective age assurance" system to all UK users this summer, so that it can identify everyone under 18 in the country and apply the new anti-grooming measures to their account."
"Meanwhile, Meta told the regulator that it will develop a new setting that will hide teenagers' following and follower lists on Instagram by default. In addition, Meta promised to roll out new AI tools that detect sexualized conversations between adults and teens in Instagram DMs. The company will then report offending accounts to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Meta will expand the availability of its "13+ movie style" sensitive content control from Instagram to Facebook, as well, which will limit what teens can see to age-appropriate posts."
"Roblox, which is thought to have a child predator problem, has committed to implementing age assurance measures so that it only suggests games suitable for a user's age. It will also give parents of users under 16 the ability to switch off chat altogether. Roblox introduced an age verification system last year to limit users' ability to interact with people outside of their a"
Read at Engadget
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