Daily Safeguarding Update - Safer Schools NI

TikTok algorithm directs users to fake news about Ukraine war

An investigation by anti-misinformation outlet NewsGuard showed that a newly created TikTok account can be shown false information about the war in Ukraine.
A new account on the platform was shown false or misleading content within 40 minutes by simply scrolling through the algorithmically created ‘For You Page’.
For more information on how to talk to the children in your care about the war in Ukraine, check out our article.
You can read the full story on The Guardian’s website.

A survey commissioned by EE showed that 67% of children and young people don’t think the internet is a safe place but many continue to place themselves at risk.
The survey also showed that only 16% of parents report to know what their children are doing online but nearly 57% are unaware of who their child talks to online.
A third of parents are unaware of age limits on platforms even though 78% report making an effort to monitor their child’s activity.
You can read the full story on EE Newsroom’s website.

The Revenge Porn Helpline reports an increase in sex workers and content creators who post sexual images having their content stolen or leaked.
From their own calculations, the helpline estimates an increase in calls of 80% from 2019 to 2020.
A Helpline spokesperson claims that many of the enquiries were from people who signed up to OnlyFans during the pandemic as a source of income.
For more information on OnlyFans, check out our article.
You can read the full story on BBC Three’s website.

A review conducted by the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership concluded that the strip search of Child Q by police should not have occurred.
An absence of a safeguarding-first approach in the practice of teachers and police officers was found and race was likely “an influencing factor”.
Politicians, representatives of youth work organisations and teaching unions are calling for more youth workers “not police officers” in schools.
You can read the full story on Children and Young People Now’s website.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request showed that 52 PSNI officers and staff were reported for domestic abuse between January 2018 and September 2021.
Of those 52, 12 were disciplined, 1 was removed from their post and 45 remain active.
Hundreds of reports of domestic abuse throughout the UK are made against police officers every year, with eight out of 10 keeping their jobs after allegations are made.
You can read the full story on Belfast Telegraph’s website.