Facebook and Snapchat bullying campaign ignored by children 

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No children engaged with bullying counselling through a social media feature launched several months ago to access Childline. Credit: REUTERS

An initiative launched by Facebook and Snapchat to help children combat online bullying has resulted in no calls to a national helpline.

Facebook and Snapchat’s parent company Snap entered into a trial with the NSPCC last year to help young children on their sites who might be subjected to bullying.

Through this initiative, if someone reports that they are being bullied, they will see a message suggesting that they talk to Childline for support and advice. Choosing this option will launch more information and the option to speak to a counsellor.

The companies came up with the idea after the Duke of Cambridge brought social media giants together to create a “cyber bullying task force”. The Duke announced a “green cross code” for the 21st century, teaching young people aged 11-16 what to do if they fall victim to “really dangerous” anonymous bullying online.

Facebook has confirmed that it launched a trial to 1,000 users in November 2017 to test the Childline counselling feature, and expanded it when it did not achieve the results it expected.

Snap confirmed it launched a pilot in January to all Snapchat users.

But the NSPCC has said no children have engaged with counselling through Childline since the social media feature launched.

A spokesman for the NSPCC said: “No counselling sessions resulted from the trial with Snap and Facebook. It seems that children simply didn’t want to receive Childline support in this way at the same time as reporting it.

“The cyberbullying task force has now been wound up, and we are seeing what else we can do to promote Childline through Facebook and Snap.”

Despite the lack of interest for counselling, the charity believes that the trial could have encouraged children to access more information about bullying on their website. Both social media sites have agreed to continue offering the Childline services in the future.

A Snap spokesman said: "We have a zero-tolerance policy towards bullying, harassment and intimidation on Snapchat and remain committed to creating a safe and secure experience for our community.

“We constantly adapt and improve our products by listening to our community, seeking guidance from experts and working constructively with regulators and legislators in the UK and internationally.”

The partnership between the NSPCC, Snap and Facebook was expected to create new functions to protect users against bullying, which, if successful, the Duke hoped would become “a global blueprint”.

In a speech in November 2017, the Duke said: "Through this process we have all been honest with each other. And of course I have been honest that I had hoped we might be able to go further. I hoped, for example, that the social media companies would agree to a form of standardisation around reporting and clear timelines for handling complaints.

“I also hoped that the tech companies might create a single, universal tool for children to report bullying when they see it or experience it regardless of which platform it happens on."

In a promotional video for the Royal Foundation campaign, the Duke warned that anonymity online can be "really, really dangerous" and can lead to the “human tragedy” of intolerable cyberbullying. His interest in the problem began shortly after the birth of his own son, Prince George, when he heard the story of a boy who killed himself as a result of online abuse.

This taskforce, led by lastminute.com founder Bret Hoberman, also included Apple, BBC, BT, EE, Google, Internet Matters, O2, Sky, Supercell, TalkTalk, Three, Twitter, Vodafone and Virgin Media. It was formally disbanded in November 2017, but continues to work throughout this year to deliver outstanding commitments and projects.

According to information from the Royal Foundation, the latest update meeting for the taskforce took place in June 2018, where it reviewed progress and assessed the current digital landscape following a series of industry and Government strategies due to be announced shortly.

A spokesman for The Royal Foundation said: “At the final meeting of the Taskforce in November, the Taskforce's members signed up to a number of commitments designed to improve the online experience of young people.

“Since then, the Taskforce has been piloting initiatives and reviewing progress against the commitments. This work is ongoing and will continue until the end of the year. The members are also looking at how their work, and the progress that the Taskforce has made, can be built upon in the future.”

Studies suggest that some 35pc of 11-17 year olds have experienced some form of cyberbullying during their lives, and 40pc have witnessed cyberbullying within a social network they use.

Following this trial, the NSPCC has called for the Government to introduce regulation which would facilitate children’s access to help, and ensure that terms and conditions and community standards were written in language that children could understand across all social media sites.

Earlier this week, three major UK internet providers pushed for a new regulator, or the expansion of the responsibility of a current regulator, to set transparency standards for content moderation and to better equip children using the internet amid safety concerns.

Sky, TalkTalk and Virgin Media gave evidence to the House of Lords Communications Committee, which is considering whether there is a need for new laws to govern internet companies.

This inquiry will consider whether websites are sufficiently accountable and transparent, and whether they have adequate governance and provide behavioural standards for users.

The committee is hearing evidence from April to September 2018 and will launch a report at the end of the year.

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