Children being exposed to inappropriate social media content a 'cause for concern'

By Kemon White     

 

Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison has weighed in on the issue of children being exposed to inappropriate content on social media.

 

Social media has provided a vibrant digital landscape where connections bloom and conversations unfold.

 

Among the positives, it allows people to share moments, ideas and stories. But on the flip side, the largely unregulated environment makes it easy for children to be exposed to inappropriate content.

 

Children's Advocate Diahann Gordon Harrison said this is cause for concern. 

 

"The concern is very live because of course children and teens are very impressionable and when you see things, it normalises a particular type of behaviour, which my concern is that without diligent guidance it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of how are they navigating what they're seeing and how are they interpreting behaviours," she said. 

 

Last week, the Executive Director of the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network called for mechanisms to flag and remove inappropriate content from children's social media feeds.

 

Mrs. Gordon Harrison has welcomed the suggestion. 

 

"It's something that I'm quite open to, and without saying too much, I can indicate that there are plans afoot, certainly from my office, to engage the big players - so the Google, the TikTok, the Instagram and so on - to see how we can bring workable solutions to the table that involve these blockouts, if you will, and the red flagging." 

 

Last month, Instagram launched a new account type for teenagers, that includes a range of heightened parental control features, as well as stricter default settings that limit the type of messages they can receive and the type of content they see.

 

Still, President of the National Secondary Students' Council, Laurel Williams, wants parents to closely monitor their children's social media accounts and activity. 

 

"So it cannot be that a child is just able to have their device and is just able to freelance on social media, scrolling mindlessly. Things like age limits can easily be, I mean, deterred from because you can just simply lie. As a parent I believe it's important that you're able to identify the real responsibility you have to ensure that the content that your child is watching is age appropriate," she urged.