Can We Trust Social Media with Our Children’s Safety? A Disturbing Look at Online Risks
I want to talk about something that worries me deeply. I’m thinking about kids and how safe they are when they use social media. I read about a case that made me stop and wonder if these big companies are really doing enough.
A leader in child safety, Bernie McNally from Northern Ireland, shared something that made me pause. She said that people from some of the world’s biggest social media companies had never even heard of the UK’s largest catfishing case. Catfishing is when someone pretends to be someone else online to trick or hurt others. This isn’t just any case. It was about Alexander McCartney, a 26-year-old who hurt thousands of kids online, using fake names and pictures.
He used Snapchat the most, but he also used Instagram and Kik. He found kids as young as ten and tricked them. He hurt over 3,500 kids from more than 30 countries. One of the saddest parts is that a 12-year-old girl in the US lost her life because of what happened. McCartney is now in jail for life.
When McNally talked to the social media companies, none of them knew about this case. That surprised her. It surprised me, too. This case was everywhere in the news. How could they not know? If they don’t know about something this big, how can we believe they can keep kids safe?
These companies say they care. Meta, which owns Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, talks a lot about their Teen Accounts. Snapchat says their Family Centre helps parents watch over their kids. But if they aren’t paying attention to the biggest dangers, how can we trust their promises?
Even the UK’s internet authority, OfCom, was surprised. One of their leaders said it was hard to believe the companies hadn’t heard of the case. That makes me think we need to ask more questions.
It’s not just about this one case. McNally also said that kids as young as nine can find bad things, like pornography, on social media. She called it “just beyond belief.” She also talked about how girls and women face mean comments and violence online. These are big problems, and they’re not going away.
I’ve also seen that kids are spending more and more time online. Studies keep showing that too much social media can hurt their mental health. Some governments are starting to make rules to protect kids. They want to stop kids from using social media until they’re older.
Here’s what I think matters most
- Social media companies need to know about the dangers on their platforms.
- They should work with parents, teachers, and experts to keep kids safe.
- New rules might be needed if companies don’t do enough.
- We all need to talk to kids about what they see and do online.
Kids deserve to feel safe when they use the internet. Parents want to trust that the apps their kids use are safe. If the people in charge don’t even know about the biggest risks, it’s hard to feel confident.
Let’s keep asking questions. Let’s keep pushing for better safety. Our kids are worth it.