Kiwis more concerned than ever about extreme, unregulated online content
Tuesday, 28 June 2022
83% of Kiwis surveyed are concerned about harmful content on social media
There is concern not enough is being done to regulate online platforms
Extreme content is resulting in more frequent acts of extremism
A new content regulation framework will be presented to Cabinet in 2023
New Zealanders are increasingly concerned about graphic and violent content they’re seeing online and feel more needs to be done to regulate the internet amid a rising tide of global mis- and dis-information, resulting in more frequent acts of terrorism and extremism.
This is according to a nationally representative sample of 1201 New Zealanders, surveyed in a new report from the Classifications Office on screen and online viewing habits, released on Wednesday.
Respondents said there needs to be better education, information and support to help protect vulnerable children from engaging with extreme content.
“We’re seeing [the extreme content] physically manifest,” acting Chief Censor Rupert Ablett-Hampson said in an interview, referring to the unlawful 23-day-long occupation of Parliament earlier this year and a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York in May. The killer in Buffalo cited the Christchurch mosque terrorist as an inspiration for his own actions.
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The report found 83% of Kiwis surveyed were concerned about harmful or inappropriate content on social media and other websites, including content that encouraged racism, sexism, misogyny, hatred or extremism. It found 33% had seen content which directly promoted or encouraged violence towards others based on race, culture, religion, sexuality or gender.
One in five of those surveyed had seen content that encouraged self-harm behaviour, suicide or eating disorders. Two in five said it was hard to avoid seeing harmful and offensive content online.
There was widespread concern about young people engaging with harmful content online, and not enough being done to protect them despite age ratings, content warnings and parental controls.
Kiwis surveyed overwhelmingly felt more online content was affecting children’s emotional wellbeing, mental health, and attitudes towards sex, relationships, violence and suicide.
Most also felt there should be stronger regulation, technical solutions, education, and responsibility taken by tech/social media companies for harm hosted and consumed on their platforms.
Very few in the sample felt highly confident in protecting themselves and their families online, and only a minority thought the current regulatory system was working well to protect children.
“This is something New Zealanders are concerned about. And they're concerned for their kids,” Ablett-Hampson said.
The report comes after the Government commissioned a review of media and online content regulation following the Christchurch attacks and due to the parallel rise of changing online platforms.
Cabinet would consider proposals on a new harm-minimising content regulation framework next year.
Regulating decentralised, ever-changing platforms in a global online world was an urgent challenge for all countries including Aotearoa, Ablett-Hampson said.
While the Classifications Office could classify content as objectionable, that was a fairly high standard, and much harmful online content did not necessarily meet the criteria.
“We’re relying a lot on social media platforms to self-regulate. Frankly, a lot of harmful material is getting through. … What happens when you end up potentially with a metaverse?”
Even though some platforms were incredibly difficult to regulate, becoming less responsive, and increasingly claim they are not responsible for content they host, none of those were good reasons not to engage in regulatory efforts, Ablett-Hampson said.
“The fact we don’t have trust in social media regulation at the moment suggests we won’t have trust in what the future looks like … We do need to take action.”