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CNN – Meta is taking steps to crack down on the spread of “revenge porn” images of teenagers on Facebook and Instagram.

A new tool, called Take It Down, takes aim at a practice where someone posts an explicit picture of an individual without their consent to publicly embarrass them. Revenge porn has skyrocketed in the last few years on social media, particularly among young boys, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Take It Down, which is operated and run by NCMEC, will allow minors for the first time to anonymously attach a hash – or digital fingerprint – to intimate images or videos directly from their own devices, without having to upload them to the new platform. To create a hash of an explicit image, a teen can visit the website TakeItDown.NCMEC.org to install software onto their device. The anonymized number, not the image, will then be stored in a database linked to Meta so that if the photo is ever posted to Facebook or Instagram, it will be matched against the original, reviewed and potentially removed.

According to our latest annual monitoring research, Responding to Online Threats: Minors’ Perspective on Disclosing, Reporting, and Blocking in 2021, the features provided by platforms to help users block and report bad actors are simply insufficient in keeping kids safe.

At the same time, the study shows that children aren’t turning to offline support systems – like having conversations with parents and other trusted adults – even though they can play a critical role in protecting kids from harm.

In the absence of these offline support options, kids leverage the tools that platforms build in – like blocking and reporting – and have faith that they will be sufficient in defending them from online harm.

To this end, platforms are the first line of protection for their users, particularly young people.

And, while many companies are leaning into this responsibility, platforms’ systems and policies intended to protect young users are simply not keeping up with the risks they face online. 

Read more here. 

Fun Filter or…potential threat. We view this filter as a predator’s dream. They could appear younger and talk directly to kids. Vulnerable kids thinking that they’re talking to peers. Beware.  Talk to your kids about the dangers lurking. Think about limiting time spent on TikTok. Created by China but remember. They don’t allow their kids to have these filters and limit time spent each day to 40 minutes. China provides their kids with content that  is history, science, math, fitness.

Users on TikTok are reviving their teenage years, courtesy of TikTok’s latest trending filter.

With the filter on, you’re able to get a split screen of your younger self on the top and your current self on the bottom for reference.

A must-listen.  Officer Dave Gomez is our “Boots on the Ground” safety officer. He’ll share the reality of what the kids are thinking and doing in schools. Parent and caregiver safety tips and recommended ways to communicate with your kids.  You won’t want to miss.  Lynns Warriors TNT Radio 2-3PM ET.

Tennessee House Republicans on Thursday overwhelmingly passed a ban on gender-transition health care for minors, which will require transgender children to end their current medical treatment by March 2024.

The bill prohibits children from receiving puberty blockers, hormone therapies or surgical procedures.

People who received the treatments as minors would also be able to sue parents, guardians and physicians for authorizing the care under a statute of limitations under the legislation. Bill sponsors initially included language to categorize parents seeking such treatments for their kids as abuse or neglect, but that section was later stripped from the bill as it made its way through committees.

If it becomes law, the bill would officially take effect this summer and give existing patients until March 31, 2024, to cease treatment, a timeline House Democrats have argued could medically harm patients.

Read more here. 

WASHINGTON — 

Several Supreme Court justices said Tuesday they were wary of allowing lawsuits against YouTube and other social media firms over algorithms they use to direct users to related content — even if that encourages terrorists or promotes illegal conduct.

The justices had agreed for the first time to hear a challenge to Section 230, the federal law that shields websites from being sued over content posted by others. That set off alarms at Big Tech firms.

But during Tuesday’s arguments, Justices Elena Kagan and Brett M. Kavanaugh said Congress, not the court, should decide whether to change the law.

Read more here.

Former NFL defensive back Eric Johnson was one of eight people indicted on myriad charges—including human trafficking—in relation to a gang investigation, according to Georgia attorney general Chris Carr.

The Supreme Court faces the challenge of trying to manage the unmanageable on Tuesday when it hears a case that could drastically change the functioning of social media platforms. The case is Gonzalez v. Google and it deals with whether tech platforms can be legally liable for content posted, even from third parties.

Social media giants have created a “wild west” atmosphere over the years, where tons of crazy and potentially dangerous material circulate in the “virtual marketplace of ideas.” Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, however, provides broad protections for these platforms from legal liability for the content posted. Basically, platforms are not considered publishers in the traditional sense, and thus not liable for content circulating on their sites.

Read more here.