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We've curated some of the most significant initiatives happening in this space including:
  • Sextortion reporting rates continuing to rise sharply, and real-time face swapping technology taking scams to the next level.
  • A number of initiatives designed to blunt the impact of AI on child sexual exploitation and abuse are launched, and an insight into the impact of AI on elections.
  • Regulators in the UK and Australia work to bring the impact of their legislation to bear, whilst two major child online safety initiatives grind forward in the US.
  • A psychological look at how social media affects young people and a recommended path forward in terms of management and regulation
  • A popular author's bestseller argues that smartphones and social media have caused a mental health crisis for teens, and initiates discussion related to different sides of the debate

NZ's Safer Online Services Proposal Shelved

The New Zealand Safer Online Services and Media Platforms review which proposed a new regulator overseeing enforceable codes of practice has been concluded with the release of a document summarising submission on the proposed approach.
The Department of Internal Affairs | Te Tari Taiwhenua have noted that the project is not a ministerial priority for the current Government and no further work is expected. In this article, we review the history of the proposal and the themes that emerged from the submissions as we know several countries are considering a change to their regulatory system and the findings are likely to be interesting reading to anyone working in online safety.


Emerging

Real-Time Scams

AI 'face swapping' technology enables scammers to produce convincing real-time video interactions and build trust with potential victims.

Sextortion

Data from helplines around the world including NCMEC (USA) and RPH (UK) continue to show a steep rise in reports of financial sextortion.

The AI Elections
Election related deepfakes and disinformation flood onto the internet, but there is little evidence they are impacting voter decision making...yet.

Report: The Strengths and Weaknesses of the Online Child Safety Ecosystem (USA)
The Stanford Internet Observatory Cyber Policy Centre captured the perspectives of platforms, NCMEC, and Law Enforcement to review the challenges for the existing US CyberTipline and makes eight recommendations for improvements in this newly released report.

Research

The science of social media and youth

The American Psychological Association has issued this paper taking a closer look at the science behind how social media affects youth, and what that means for improving safety on relevant platforms.

Digital Dilemmas and Cyber Culture
Reserach by Aura provides a view on American cyber-culture and finds a diverse spectrum of habits across tech-savvy Gen Z, pragmatic Gen X, cautious Millennials, and traditional Baby Boomers.

Media use and attitudes ages 3-17

This report from Ofcom provides a comprehensive picture of children’s media experiences in 2023 as a reference for industry, policymakers, academics and the general public.

Regulation Roundup

USA
Leading online safety advocates are split on whether lawmakers should fast track two pieces of child online safety legislation by attaching them to FAA reauthorisation legislation.

UK
Ofcom's new online child safety codes that push for improvements in age verification, algorithms, moderation, accountability, and choice for children is open for consultation.

Industry

AI Transparency
TikTok announced it was joining the CAI, partnering with the C2PA to enable automatic labelling of AI-generated content, and working with MediaWise on a media literacy program.

Tools for Sextortion

Meta introduces nudity protection in DMs and new resources and tools to prevent scammers from connecting with teens in an effort to restrict sextortion activity on its platforms.

Child Safety and AI
Microsoft joins Thorn and All Tech is Human to enact the 'Develop, Deploy, and Maintain' child safety commitments to combat AI's influence on sexual harm against children.

Debating the The Anxious Generation
Jonathan Haidt's latest bestseller, The Anxious Generation, argues that smartphones and social media have caused a mental health crisis for teens. Researchers have disputed the logic and the quality of the research - but his findings have resonated with many parents and frontline practitioners. Writers for Vox, The Guardian, and the Platformer have attempted to summarise the two sides of the debate.

Podcasts

Safety is Sexy
Matt Soeth has launched the Safety is Sexy podcast channel covering all things Trust and Safety. It features discussions with Alice Hunsberger and with Jun Young Ro.

Tech'ed Up

Niki Christoff covers emerging tech matters including safety issues. April episodes include Fighting Hate Online and A Review of Privacy Legislation and The AI Data Race.

BBC
Jo Meek investigates the rise of boys being radicalised online as part of the 'Boys' series exploring challenges facing boys and young men in Britain today.

Extra Analysis and Opinions

Join and Contribute

The Online Safety Exchange (OSX) develops products and services to serve and support the online safety community - and works with international experts to achieve this. We're also hosting a growing community of online safety experts working in public, private, or civil society. If you'd like to contribute something to a future newsletter, please email news@onlinesafetyexchange.org
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