Nearly half of girls aged 11 to 18 have suffered harassment or abuse on social media, new findings show.
Tagged with online bullying
Instagram is rated as the worst social media platform when it comes to its impact on young people's mental health, a UK snapshot survey suggests.
The poll asked 1,479 people aged 14-24 to score popular apps on issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, bullying and body image.
Instagram said keeping the platform a safe and supportive place for young people was a top priority.
Instagram is introducing two new tools to help keep Instagram a safe place for self-expression — a filter to block certain offensive comments and a spam filter in nine languages. These tools are the next step in their commitment to foster kind, inclusive communities on Instagram.
One in three internet users between the ages of 12 and 15 say they saw "hate speech" online in the past year, according to Ofcom's latest survey of children's media habits.
It is the first time the UK regulator has posed a question about the topic in its annual study.
The NSPCC charity said the finding was "very worrying", adding such posts should not be tolerated.
Internet trolls who create derogatory hashtags or doctored images to humiliate others could face prosecution in England and Wales.
Inciting people to harass others online, known as virtual mobbing, could also result in court action, under new Crown Prosecution Service guidance.
The director of public prosecutions said it means the CPS would prosecute just as if offences occurred offline.
'The first feature we’re introducing is a keyword moderation tool that anyone can use. Now, when you tap the gear icon on your profile, you’ll find a new Comments tool.
This feature lets you list words you consider offensive or inappropriate. Comments with these words will be hidden from your posts. You can choose your own list of words or use default words we’ve provided. This is in addition to the tools we’ve already developed such as swiping to delete comments, reporting inappropriate comments and blocking accounts.'
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