Most online child abuse ‘targets girls aged 13 and under’

  • The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) annual report shows most online child abuse is targeted at girls aged 7 to 13 who own smartphones.
  • The IWF acted on 252,000 child abuse reports to remove explicit content online, where 91% involved girls aged 13 or under.
  • 68% of reports involved 11- to 13-year-olds – deemed to be the most vulnerable age as this is when most children are given mobile phones.
  • You can read the full story on The Telegraph’s website.

Google adds new ‘data safety’ labels to Play Store listings

  • Google is adding new updated ‘data safety’ labels for all apps listed in the Play Store.
  • These will provide more specific information in regard to what data each app collects, how developers use your data and the app’s security practices.
  • They are aiming to increase transparency over the process of data handling.
  • Developers will be required to complete this section for their apps or risk penalties and being unlisted from the marketplace.
  • You can read the full story on the Social Media Today’s website.

Instagram is testing pinned grid posts

  • Instagram is testing a feature to let users ‘pin’ or highlight specific posts at the top of their profile grid.
  • The feature is currently available for testing for some users and no wider release date has been confirmed.
  • This is similar to Twitter’s pinned tweets and TikTok’s pinned videos.
  • You can read the full story on The Verge’s website.

 New law raises minimum marriage age to 18 in England and Wales

  • The legal age of marriage and civil partnerships has been raised to 18 in England and Wales, where previously those aged 16 or 17 could get married with parental consent.
  • Under the new rules, children will not face penalties but adults who facilitate their marriage could face up to seven years in jail and a fine, including adults who take children abroad to carry out the marriage.
  • The new law also applies to cultural or religious marriages that aren’t registered with the local council.
  • You can read the full story on the BBC’s website.

Life in Scotland ‘getting worse’ for LGBT young people

  • Findings published in LGBT Youth Scotland’s “Life in Scotland” report shows that less young people consider Scotland a good place to live.
  • 69% of respondents reported that transphobia was a ‘big problem” across the whole country – this is the highest level yet recorded.
  • The chief executive of LGBT Youth Scotland commented that far too many LGBT young people experience high levels of bullying, poorer mental health, and other inequalities.
  • You can read the full story on The National’s website.