We, as humans, are very paradoxical beings. While we strive to protect the most vulnerable members amongst us, we are also the architects of a world brimming with convenience. We champion social causes fervently yet are often voluntarily disconnected from our communities. We perpetually fear tyrannical encroachments on our liberties yet readily embrace ideologically aligned bullies. We express concerns about the power of billionaire corporations yet carelessly accept the terms and conditions imposed by websites and social media giants.
This paradoxical behavior exposes our inherent contradictions as human beings. While we are rallying against injustice and predation in our social progress, the very same platforms that we are championing have become breeding grounds for the exploitation of our most vulnerable: children. Nelson Mandela once said, ‘We owe our children – the most vulnerable citizens in any society – a life free from violence and fear.’ However, time and again, we, as a society, have failed to protect our children from exploitation, deception, manipulation, and, sometimes, trafficking.
The Instagram expose by Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal’s recent ground-breaking investigation deeply explores the terrible truth behind the predators’ deliberate targeting of unsuspecting users, especially children, using social media algorithms. This shocking expose highlights the distressing revelations that demand immediate attention and decisive action. It is time to face the uncomfortable reality and address the critical need for stricter regulations and effective safety measures in the world of social media. Instagram goes beyond hosting criminal activity, in contrast with forums and file-transfer platforms that cater to such interests, as its algorithms actively encourage and facilitate predators to content providers, promoting illicit relationships based on specific niche interests.
Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time Meta, owned by Zuckerberg, and its subsidiaries have faced criticism for harming their users. In 2022, a whistleblower testified before the US Congress, revealing that Meta and its apps contribute to multiple and severe mental health issues among young teenagers, especially young girls.
In another scandal in 2018, a UK-based company, Cambridge Analytica, improperly utilized the private and personal data of over 87 million Facebook users, leading to the largest data breach scandal in internet history. As a result, Meta had to pay a settlement of 725 million USD to resolve the case outside of court.
The Cultural and Societal Numbness to Online Predators
Predators have been around us for as long as we have existed. However, with the rise of the internet, mainly social media platforms, these predators have found new avenues to operate unchecked. In contrast to the pre-internet times, when predators and child traffickers were universally condemned and faced severe legal consequences, our society seems to have developed a troubling resistance towards them. These predators have taken note of this societal numbness, constantly seeking innovative methods to access, create, solicit, and distribute predatory content. Unfortunately, we are allowing this alarming trend to persist as a society.
Read More: Social Media Misuse And Its Impact On Privacy
Also, multiple journalistic platforms have often engaged in partisan politics when deciphering the merit of these scandals, enabling platform owners to quietly escape the news cycle and return to their old elitist ways. As Paulo Coelho astutely observed, “A mistake repeated more than once is not a mistake anymore. It is a decision.” And it appears that social media platforms have made their decision. The head of the Stanford Internet Observatory, a former employee of Meta, stated that even identifying explicit illicit content involving children would require sustained effort. Yet, time and again, smaller research teams with limited resources have demonstrated that containment is possible if these platforms actually cared enough to try.
However, despite all odds, these platforms manage to find ample time to boast about the superiority of their algorithms compared to other social media platforms. The owners and high-ranking executives of these platforms frequently engage in self-congratulatory events with their customers and employees while also testifying before lawmakers in their own jurisdictions, making repeated promises regarding privacy and security measures concerning children, young girls, and teenagers. Yet, like clockwork, a fresh scandal emerges every six months, casting doubt on these platforms’ reliability and ability to deliver on their promises.
Navigating the road ahead
Evidently, social media platforms have struggled significantly in effectively regulating the presence and activities of predators. Despite law enforcement agencies attempting to collaborate with them to address predatory behavior, these platforms consistently fail their users. However, parents also bear responsibility in this matter. Those who willingly create accounts for their infants to monetize their “cuteness” or allow unsupervised teenage “influencers” to be targeted by predators contribute to a range of mental health challenges, including body dysmorphia, self-esteem issues, validation crises, and even suicidal thoughts. In this regard, they share equal culpability with social media platforms.
Given the gravity of the situation, we must take swift action to protect our most vulnerable individuals from the dangers posed by unchecked predators. One or more of the following measures must be undertaken promptly:
Urgent Prioritization of Social Media Algorithms’ detrimental effects:
Despite the legal and technical obstacles that limit external intervention, social media platforms must present a genuine commitment to addressing the flaws in their algorithmic evaluations. These platforms must delve deep into their algorithms and identify and implement substantive and credible solutions to counteract predatory behavior. Failing to do so will only continue the clockwork and perpetuate the cycle of harm, leaving vulnerable individuals without adequate protection and respite.
Increased Parental engagement in the Children’s social lives:
Parents must actively participate in their children’s online activities, mainly social media activities, and they must be willing to supervise the consumption of the contents of their children’s favorite ‘influencers’ on social media, as more often than not, these ‘influencers’ are just predators in disguise. They must try and Identify patterns of abuse and take necessary steps to safeguard their children and others.
It is essential to understand that most of these predators disguise themselves as their friends or well-wishers, and they might covertly or overtly try to impede their communications with their parents and other adults. By being vigilant and informed, parents can play a vital role in preventing exploitation and ensuring the well-being of their children.
Read More: Effects of social media on children’s mental health
Promotion and Collaboration with law enforcement:
Law enforcement agencies should be supported, celebrated, and empowered to work closely with social media platforms in apprehending and bringing online predators to justice. They must also be active in not giving up on the cases of these victims and must work with the parents and others in the children’s networks to actively look for these predators. It is essential to provide specialized training to law enforcement officers, enabling them to understand and address the complexities of online predation effectively.
Passing strict legislation to trample on online predatory behaviors:
Legislative measures are crucial in addressing the issue at hand. Strict laws should be enacted that protect the rights of consenting adults, but imposes severe penalties on individuals engaging in illicit activities involving minors. Striking a balance between individual freedoms and the safety of vulnerable individuals is paramount in combating this widespread epidemic. By passing these comprehensive laws, we can create a legal framework that holds perpetrators accountable and sends a clear message that such exploitative behavior will not be tolerated.
Read More: The Role of Cybersecurity in Mental Well-being
Raising Collective voices and losing the Social Numbness to predatory behavior:
It is incumbent upon us as a society to raise our collective voices against child predatory behavior, and vehemently refuse to normalize it or turn a blind eye to it. By holding parents accountable, demanding platform transparency, supporting law enforcement and their decisions, urging lawmakers to prioritize this issue, and penalizing the ones that fail to punish these behaviors, we can create a safer environment for our children and combat this pervasive problem effectively.
Read More: The Dark World of Social Media
Clear thinking, healthy interpersonal interaction, emotional adaptability, and skill development are usually exhibited in children’s sound mental health. Their creative minds lead to pursuits that encourage creativity, interpersonal relationships, and effective communication. Parents, teachers, and other guardians are vital to providing a safe environment and fostering trust in oneself and a high sense of self-esteem and self-worth. However, vulnerable individuals such as minors face grave danger from predators who leverage social media algorithms.
By inadvertently leaving such loopholes, these algorithms enable predators to exploit naïve, trusting, and unsuspecting victims. For social media platforms to protect these users, better regulations, improved safety measures, and proactive detection methods are crucial. We can create virtual spaces that shield the most vulnerable from online predators by raising awareness, demanding accountability, and advocating for change. It is high time that we prioritize their welfare and give them the tools they need to prosper in a more secure online environment.
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