Social media giants support Block The Bullying campaign… but there is still a long way to go
Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter come out in support, but we don't think they are doing enough
SOCIAL media giants Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter have all backed the Sun's Block The Bullying campaign.
On Monday we joined forces with The NSPCC to call on internet companies to take down sickening videos of children beating up other children as soon as they are made aware of them.
All the major players in the multi-billion dollar industry say they already have strict policies in place, but the NSPCC believe they still have a long way to go.
Chief Exec Peter Wanless said: “When we launched this campaign we knew that many social media companies had policies in place that purport to prevent bullying on their platforms.
"However, we know that in practice they haven’t been working and what we want to hear is a cast iron guarantee from all these companies that if videos showing children being beaten up and humiliated are being shared on their platforms they will take them down as soon as they are made aware of them – no questions asked."
And mum Louise Coplin from Tamworth, Staffs, has told us how she desperately battled to get a video of her daughter being beaten up, taken down from YouTube and Facebook, apparently reporting it around 100 times.
Facebook eventually removed it, but months later, it is still on YouTube, which Louise and 13-year-old Demmi find hugely upsetting.
Talking about how she reported the footage to Facebook, Louise said: "It was really frustrating and really upsetting. It felt like no matter how many times I reported it, it would keep reappearing. Even if it was removed from one account, it would be re-uploaded and then shared, shared and shared again."
She had an even more frustrating time with YouTube, explaining: "I reported it to YouTube and asked other people I know to do the same, but it's still there. They haven't come back to me. It's still there and I want it taken down from everywhere, so I don't have to see it anymore."
The aims of the campaign are simple
Firstly: We call on all social media platforms to remove videos of children being physically bullied by other young people as soon as they come to their attention.
Secondly: We are asking for Sun readers – both children and adults – to pledge their support to report the videos if they see them.
Thirdly: We aim to educate children as to why they should never film and share incidents of bullying and the damage it can cause the victims and to themselves.
Fourthly: We want to offer parents an easy step by step guide to help them cope if their children have been victims of cyber bullying.
Facebook guidance states that if a violent video is posted, but the user is condemning the footage, it does not necessarily breach their rules. YouTube have a similar policy, but both say videos like this could be taken down if it breaches a person's privacy.
Peter Wanless does not think this approach is good enough. He said: "The UK’s parents and children need reassurance that bullying videos showing innocent youngsters being beaten up and mocked are not entertainment, are not acceptable content, and have no place in a civilised society.”
Despite The NSPCC's words, Facebook, Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and Twitter all say they back our campaign.
A representative for Snapchat told us: "This is something everyone can get behind. Bullying is not OK - anywhere - and is against our Community Guidelines."
And a spokesperson for Facebook said: “We care about protecting people's safety and always welcome campaigns which educate children, parents and schools about the impact of bullying on and offline.”
YouTube added: “We support calls in this campaign for people to be vigilant and flag content that violates our policies, like harassing and bullying content, which has no place on the YouTube platform.”
Finally Kira O'Connor, Twitter's Head of Trust and Safety Outreach said: "Safety is a key priority for Twitter and we have clear rules on abuse and harassment. We support the NSPCC's call for people to report content they see that may be abuse or harassment and we will take take action on any account that breaks our rules."
How to tackle bullying videos on social media
Brutal videos of children beating up other children are becoming more common by the day. But what should you do if you see one pop up on your social media feed? And worse still, what should you do if you discover that your child is a victim of this kind of bullying, or even that they are taking part themselves? It is an incredibly tough position for any parent to be in, so click here for a step by step guide from the NSPCC.
Block The Bullying aims to educate young people that filming and sharing attacks on social media can be just as damaging to a child as the actual physical assault.
We are also telling teens what to do if they see a bullying video on social media, how parents should react if their child is a victim and we are asking readers to .
The Sun Online has pledged not to publish any more videos of children being bullied, unless we have express permission from the family or police.
If you or anyone you know have experienced this kind of bullying email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368