The Truth About Failed Solutions to Child Protections Online
Failed Solutions to the Wrong Problems?
The call for increased measures for online platforms is said to protect children from misleading and harmful content. There’s no question in needing to protect children for these issues. But how effective has this been and why is it still a problem?
Could it be that censorship, (for example), is the wrong solution?
Are we focussed on the wrong problems?
Why is it not working?
How it’s Going So Far
One of the biggest threats to children online is Child Exploitation. This is sadly a huge topic that covers all manner of sins. One of which is that of Pedophilia.
Mark Zuckerberg came under heavy scrutiny from congress after they proved how their algorithm failed to provide protection. Worst of all their algorithm was effectively putting children together with Pedophiles!
Mark Zuckerberg was forced to apologise but has not since resolved this issue. (as of March 2024).
Whereas Elon Musk made this his primary goal when he took over Twitter and has made a far greater effort. And it worked! At least for now.
So why is it that some platforms fail where others succeed?
Are you aware of which platforms are of risk to children?
Google a Safer Space?
Today we use “Google” for many things and it’s become second nature when searching for answers online. But have you ever considered the responses it provides? Do you understand how Google works to provide you with its top results?
When Google first rose to fame it was because of their ability to match your search query accurately to pages on the web. It was a simple concept made brilliant and more effective by Google.
Since then Google has changed their algorithm and has come under fire for their bias. Google doesn’t like the term Pedophile. They believe that has negative connotations. So instead we’re to refer to them as MAPs.
“Minor Attracted Persons”.
Their concerning views over Pedophilia is made clear as evidenced by their AI “Gemini” which has now exposed how Google thinks and operates.
Some would call this “Wokeism” but I can think of much stronger words.
So the next time you use Google know how their ‘bias’, (for want of a stronger term), is impacting the results provided.
This is Especially Important if Your Children Use Google.
When Pedophilia is not seen as “wrong” in the eyes of Google, you have to wonder what else Google is exposing to children.
Messaging Apps
Children today are less interested in Whatsapp and more keen to use more popular trendy tools such as Snapchat. You would think that messaging their friends is safe. But now this has become yet another avenue for Bullying. And a far more powerful and effective one at that.
Online Bullying and Harassment
More commonly known as Cyberbullying, this has seen an unfortunate rise in cases over the years for several reasons:
The Top Three Platforms for Cyberbully:
- Snapchat
So the problem isn’t primarily Messaging Apps but they are still a serious contender for that much-to-be-avoided prize.
And the problems are still the same.
Adults Only
Maybe we have this all backwards.
What if we redefine the problem and ask:
“How do we protect Children in ‘Adult’ Spaces”
The minimum age for social media in most Countries is 13. Should this age be raised? What if social media was banned until your were an Adult?
It could be argued that children will find a way around this regardless. But how many really will? And would the targeting and exploitation of children be so easy if this simple measure was implemented?
“I once heard someone compare Social Media to a Brothel”
I remember laughing in agreement. And then I wondered how much truth there really was to this. I came up with the following similarities:
- Human interaction for gratification
- Exchange of services or content
- Potential for exploitation
- Focus on appearance and presentation
- Addictive nature
- Commercial aspect
- Varied user experiences
Crucially, the main difference is that one is strictly for Adults.
So why are we allowing children into these Online Brothels?
To take this theory further, aren’t we attempting to reduce the exposure to people once they’re already inside the brothel? Just how possible is this task?
In many ways, (and the more you think about it), we are trying to find solutions to restrict exposure to children in what were essentially designed as “Adult Only Areas”.
None of the platforms, websites and online tools in these discussions were ever initially intended for children. They were an after thought as a consequence of gaining in popularity amongst minors.
There are no inherent Parent Protections for Children Online. Features have been added but on top of a layer of code never designed for protection. How effective can this ever be?
Well, they’ve proven so far that it’s not.
Children are Not Ready to be Adults
The only solution that has been effective is the banning of exploitive accounts by Elon Musk. But this will not prevent Evil trying again.
The likes of Facebook, Instagram, Google and Snapchat have proven that all their measures have not only failed, but in many cases their attempts further enabled a greater exploitation of children.
Even when children are allowed to proceed unchaperoned to talk to other children we see the truly awful affects of Cyberbullying. Children are not developed and experienced enough to be on Social Media.
In short, the current solutions are not working and are unlikely to progress the resolution of the challenges faced when mixing children with Adult Areas.
The only truly effective solution I can see, (while kids may not like it), is a complete ban on children on Social Media Platforms.
Education for All
We need to provide better education to ourselves, as much as children, into understanding bias and misleading results from online search engines such as Google and for any other website in general.
As evidenced above we cannot rely on these companies to mark their own homework. Allowing companies to decide what they believe to be right may not align with what is morally true.
No manner of censorship, supervision or AI can prevent the problems we are seeing today online. Instead of demanding more censorship, supervision and AI we should simply say “Stop”.
After all , it was the increased measures by Meta that increased children coming into contact with Pedophiles. There are countless challenges Big Tech Platforms will face even when their intentions are true.
The Platforms themselves need to take this as an education. They need to understand what is working, what isn’t and what the real problems are.
Children are still developing and lack the knowledge and experience to critically think about the information presented to them. For adults we have no excuse. We should seek to inform ourselves more. As Parents this is critical and shouldn’t even be a consideration.
Allowing Children into areas where Adults are free to be Adults is quite obviously a bad idea. Especially when they are not even chaperoned.
Covering children’s eyes in a brothel is futile over preventing them from entering in the first place.
Trying to resolve the wrong problem will never end well and explains why they continue to fail.
80’s Solutions to New Century Problems
In my day there were no such protections available. If you wanted to tune in to late night TV, after the watershed, you could. The only thing stopping you were your parents!
I remember being warned about “Stranger Danger” in a time where Evil acts were more difficult than they are today.
People took more responsibility back then, even when, (and possibly because), safety measures were less available. More dangers were present even just in a walk to school.
In a recent article on Medium by Aspiring Reader, writing about the Author of the Book “Dune”, one statement struck me in particular:
“Even in the 1960s, he saw how much computers would change the world. Rather than asking “How will it destroy us?” his work asks “How will humans take back control?”
The problems we face today are evolving as fast as technology. We are placing the solutions in the hands of the same technology. And this is the problem.
Maybe it’s time we strictly allowed technology to advance in order to help improve our lives, but where it’s most important for safety, we retain full control ourselves.
Responsibility may be harder to accept and action but in order to protect our children this is something we must do ourselves.
Children are quite simply not ready for Adult responsibility.
Thank you for reading.
