Facebook aims to protect children on the platform with the launch of a new initiative that encourages users to report and not share child abuse content on its platform.

The new initiative is called ‘Report it, don’t share it’ and is being undertaken in collaboration with civil society organisations like Aarambh India Initiative, Cyber Peace Foundation, and Arpan. Facebook introduced the new initiative through an animated video that uses visuals to inform users about the negative impact that circulation of child abuse content can have on children subjected to such content, even if the act is being condemned.

In a statement to IANS, Madhu Sirohi, Head of Policy Programs & Outreach, Facebook India, said, “We want to foster a safe and supportive environment on Facebook and Instagram and we’re constantly working towards that. While we invest heavily in people and technology to identify and remove this kind of content even before people see it, we also want to spread awareness on the appropriate behaviour in case people spot child abuse content on our platforms.”

Facebook users can report content where a child may be at risk by calling 1098 and reporting it to the Childline India Foundation. Additionally, if the content is on Facebook’s family of apps, it can be reported on fb.me/onlinechildprotection.

Facebook has also partnered with Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia who runs the “Freedom to Feed” community on Instagram, which is a safe space for women to discuss breastfeeding and the challenges associated with it.

Earlier this year, Facebook conducted an in-depth analysis to understand the illegal child exploitative content on Facebook and Instagram. The analysis found that over 90 percent of content was the same or visually similar to previously reported content. Additionally, most of the content shared was done so with the intent to cause harm to children.

The social media giant has also added an option to choose “involves a child” under the “Nudity and Sexual Activity” category of reporting in more places on Facebook and Instagram to make it easier to report content for violating its child exploitation policies.

Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/technology/facebook-launches-new-initiative-aimed-at-protecting-children-online-7042031.html