Daily Safeguarding Update - Safer Schools NI

TikTok testing ‘clear mode’ for a distraction-free scrolling

TikTok is testing a new feature for a ‘distraction-free’ scrolling experience which gets rid of clutter on screen.
The ‘clear mode’ feature removes elements such as captions, buttons, usernames, and audio information while scrolling on the app.
Clear mode is currently only available to some users in limited testing and no wider release date has been announced.
You can read the full story on Tech Crunch’s website.

Research commissioned by Dame Vera Baird, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, found that online abuse lasts at least two years for 22% of victims.
Almost two thirds of online abuse victims (65%) report being unhappy with the response from tech companies and 55% were dissatisfied with police response.
On many occasions, police didn’t understand what constituted a crime online, were not well-trained in internet skills and mainly told people to block the abuser.
You can read the full story on the Winsford and Middlewich Guardian’s website.

Ofcom is urging tech firms to keep women and girls safer online on websites and apps.
The latest Online Nation report from Ofcom found that women are less confident about their online safety than men and feel less able to have a voice and share opinions online.
Results show that women are also more negatively affected by discriminatory, hateful, and trolling content.
You can read the full story on Ofcom’s website.