Caught in an AI landslide and unable to escape the reality of your social feed? Open your eyes and talk to your kids about what they're seeing online, says Emma Robertson of Digital Awareness UK.
It's important to recognize the positive influence influencers have on young people, but chilling statistics from Vodafone research show why it's so important for parents to know who is influencing their children It highlights what it is. More than half (52%) boys ages 11 to 14 engage with content from influencers connected to the manosphere.
This ties in with Safer Internet Day 2024's theme: 'What can influence and change the way young people think, feel and behave online and offline'.
Many parents are probably already aware that influencers play a big role in their children's online lives. However, you may be surprised to learn that some influencers are not real or the content they showcase is not genuine. Don't you think it's difficult to understand? Stay with us! In this article, we explore how AI-generated influencers and content are shaping the way children think, feel, and behave. Finally, here are some important tips for having good conversations at home.
We have been working in the online safety field for over 10 years. We are very excited about the opportunities that AI brings to children, but the most significant threat to young people online is the ease with which they can be exposed to and influenced by harmful AI-generated content. I think it's a matter of gender.
The prevalence of AI-generated content (such as images and videos generated using artificial intelligence) will continue to increase, with European law enforcement agency Europol recently predicting that 90% of online content will grow by 2026. We estimate that it may be synthetically produced.
AI “Agroism”: Boys are served harmful content within 60 seconds of being online
On Safer Internet Day 2024, Vodafone released a new film, The Rise of the Aggro-rithm, which focuses on harmful AI algorithms targeting teenagers and teenage boys in the UK.
deep fake
A dramatic example of this was seen in early February 2024 when millions of social media users, many of them children, were exposed to sexually explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift. These fake images are generated by artificial intelligence using social media algorithms (a set of rules that determine what content appears in your news feed), and are used to put images on your kids' news faster than you can hit a “report” button. I pushed it into the feed.
The incident highlights the need for stronger regulation of social media platforms and AI-generated content. The systems currently in place to manage harmful content are far from effective. To put this in context, a Taylor Swift deepfake shared by a user on X (formerly known as Twitter) was reportedly viewed 47 million times before the account was suspended. .
virtual influencer
Another trend that is exploding is the growth of virtual influencers, and the young people we talk to are definitely aware of it. The virtual influencer is Michela Souza (@limiquela). Although they are not real people, they still amass millions of followers. Michela Souza has also secured brand partnerships with companies such as Prada and Calvin Klein.
ChatGPT: AI is both smarter and dumber than you think
Artificial intelligence is here! They're not like the killer robots in his science fiction movies, but they're already having a huge impact on our society.
However, there is growing concern in our industry about the potential for virtual influencers to spread harmful content. Sadly, many boys are reporting to us that they have been exposed to misogynistic, violent, or sexually explicit content featuring virtual influencers.
Impact of harmful content
Vodafone's research revealed that Ten% of boys encounter harmful content within just 60 seconds of being online. That's why they support the Global Plan of Action. petition For “safety design”. At this time, companies prioritize user safety when designing products and services.
We have seen firsthand that young people become desensitized to extreme and harmful views after being exposed to harmful content. Not all young people are against sharing such content. Our recent research shows that 42% of 13- to 17-year-olds use social media, even if it is potentially harmful or promotes hatred towards a particular person or group. We found that influencers think they should share their opinions online. The main reasons included freedom of speech.
How to talk to your teenage sons about online toxicity
If you're a parent who's struggling to talk to your adolescent or teen about the worrying Internet content they're consuming, these tips from a clinical psychologist may help.
This highlights the urgent need to take effective measures to protect children from exposure to harmful content, whether by AI or real humans. Still, in the meantime, there are many things parents can do to protect their children from these harms and help them enjoy the wonderful benefits that technology has to offer.
How parents can support their children
If you're worried about your child encountering harmful content from social media influencers, there are many things you can do. The main tips are:
- talk to the algorithm
As I've highlighted before, I can't wait for social media platforms to automatically detect and remove harmful content. However, your child can tell the algorithm to minimize the offensive content they see in their feed by:
- Tell the app that you no longer want to see certain posts. For example, if you see a recommended post in your Instagram feed that is violent or sexist, you can tap the “three dots” icon in the top right of the post and select “Not Interested.”
- Check your Friends and Followers and unfollow accounts that share content you don't want to see.
- Please be careful not to engage with harmful content. The more likes, shares, and comments you have, the more likely you are to receive similar content.
- Check your parental controls
Parents can turn on parental controls across apps and sites like TikTok to filter out harmful content.check out digital parenting professionalis an interactive parental control and safety settings resource created in partnership with Vodafone. We provide tips and advice on how to effectively enable parental controls.
- Speak regularly and lead by example
Of course, there are limits to what technology can do when it comes to solving personal and societal problems. It is vitally important that children are given regular opportunities to speak openly and honestly about the challenges they face online so that we can provide them with the emotional support and education they need.
Remember that parents have the greatest influence on their children, so it is important to be effective role models. Setting positive examples of how to treat others with compassion and kindness, even if they are of a different gender, race, religion, or ability, is one of the most effective actions we can take. One.
I hope this article was helpful.visit Vodafone UK News Center Learn more about how to keep your family safe online.
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A cropped image of Taylor Swift and overlaid with text.Used under Creative Commons license.
