Children harmed by algorithms

Children are being exposed to the digital world from a very early age, without parents knowing the extent of harms caused by some platforms. One of the platforms that engages children is Youtube. Children are hooked on more and more addictive videos, with YouTube collecting user data to keep presenting them with targeted adverts.

Recently we have learned that, Duncan McCann, a father of three, and his team of lawyers, are taking Youtube to court over the harvesting and misuse of children’s data. Foxglove legal is also supporting this effort:

“At Foxglove we are proud to be supporting Duncan’s case challenging YouTube for its ongoing data mining of kids”, says Martha Dark, a tech-rights advocate and Director of Foxglove.

“YouTube, and its parent company Google, have long been ignoring laws designed to protect children. It’s time to call a halt. You can read more about the case here: https://www.foxglove.org.uk/news/youtube-is-breaking-the-law-by-harvesting-childrens-data-for-targeted-advertising-heres-how-we-can-stop-them"

Addiction by algorithms is how social media companies thrive. 14 years old Molly Russell took her own life in 2017, after seeing self-harm videos on Instagram. An on-going inquest will examine how the use of algorithms may have contributed to her death, according to the BBC (read more here).