Chloe Harcombe and Liam McGuinn, both video journalists, have joined forces with Andy Howard and Harriet Robinson, journalists from BBC West, to investigate the alarming exposure of teenagers to harmful content on social media. As part of this engagement, this initiative developed six fictional personas. Each profile is meant to encapsulate the perspective and life experience of a 13- or 14-year-old. These profiles were electric on trending platforms such as TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. This illustrates just how much young users are pushed to harmful content.
The goals of this project were to understand the kinds of content teenagers are being exposed to within these rapid environments. The reporters, posing as each unique fictional profile, navigated these perpetual platforms. This method enabled them to report back on their research without laying bare their professional identities. This approach allowed them to experiment with the platforms in the same way that real teenagers would. Unintentionally or not, they provided a closer-to-honest picture of the risks that really exist online.
In order to follow the money, Harcombe, McGuinn, Howard, and Robinson did extensive research to discover how content recommendation algorithms operate. They focused specifically on how these algorithms amplify the visibility of toxic content. The team went through and carefully documented examples of the unsuitable content that emerged from just running the accounts. They aimed to reveal not only the volume of such material but its potential impact on impressionable young minds.
The study further amplifies a growing alarm among parents, educators and mental health advocates. They might be fearful about the negative effects of social media on adolescent development. Teenagers are increasingly using these platforms as their primary means of entertainment and social interaction. As they increasingly turn to them, the risks of encountering harmful content are greater than ever. The journalists developed extensive, imaginary personas on multiple platforms. This enabled them to get a comprehensive snapshot of the type of content that frequently appears in young users’ feeds.
Beyond just documenting harmful content, the journalists looked into how these platforms respond to reports of inappropriate content. The multi-year investigation revealed significant deficiencies in moderation processes. This has raised serious questions about the responsibility of social media companies in protecting their young users.
