Daily Safeguarding Update

Instagram Launches Desktop Image and Video Upload

Instagram is launching the first live test of a new function that will allow users to upload images and videos direct from their desktop computer
This will provide users with another way to manage their Instagram content
Users will not yet be able to upload stories and reels, with hints that this additional functionality could follow in the future
The first test will be with a small group of users and will be expanded soon
You can read more here

A report by the Independent Inquiry in the Child Sexual Abuse (in England and Wales) has released a new report this week
The team behind the report spoke to 56 victims and survivors of child sexual abuse between the ages of 11-21 years old – only a small number said they were satisfied with the police process
Young victims told the inquiry that the police had not managed their privacy and confidentiality concerns correctly, which could lead to reprisals from people associated with the abuser
Most victims interviewed said there had been no prosecutions or conviction in their case, with some regretting speaking to police
The National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for child protection, Deputy Chief Constable Ian Critchley, said “we will consider very seriously the views of young people…and use it to further develop the way we work…to protect children.”
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New research by the LGBTQ+ young people’s charity, Just Like Us, found that LGBTQ+ students were twice as likely (65%) to have experienced depression compared to their straight peers (39%)
The survey included almost 3,000 UK student aged 11-18 and comes as schools celebrate Diversity Week, organised by Just Like Us, which promotes LGBTQ+ visibility and equality in schools
The charity also reported that 74% of young LGBTQ+ pupils who have never had a positive message from their school about being LGBTQ+ have contemplated suicide, but this figure drops to 65% when pupils receive affirmative messages about sexual and gender diversity
“The children really appreciate it. Even if they’re not a part of the LGBT+ community they want to know more,” Deputy Principal of Howell’s school in Cardiff Natalie Chyba said
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EA Sports is set to allow players to preview all FIFA ‘ultimate team packs’ before purchasing
Ultimate Team Packs can be purchases using in-app currency awarded for gameplay or by purchasing with real money
The decision follows scrutiny of game packs and loot box rewards by video game publishers
Last year the Hague High Court ruled that Ultimate Team Packs mirror ‘games of chance mechanisms’
EA has also faced challenges in France and Belgium where consumer groups argued that Ultimate Team Packs should be classified as gambling products, and their use should be restricted to adults
The UK government will proceed with the review of the 2005 Gambling Act, with DCMS saying that this would include a review of loot boxes
Gaming industry news sources said EA had generated an extra $1.5 Billion of sales from pack sales
You can read more here

Apple claims that allowing developers to release apps outside its official App Store would ‘expose users to serious security risks’
A new report from the company argued strongly against the so-called ‘sideloading’ of apps
They suggest a range of hypothetical problems, including ransomware and financial scams
The company is involved in a legal battle with Epic Games over the rules it sets for its App Store
Apple is concerned that forthcoming EU regulations of digital markets could force it to enable ‘sideloading’
The company says that “allowing sideloading would degrade the security of the iOS platform
Tim Sweeney, the head of Epic Games, characterised the report as “a sea of lies”
You can read more here