TikTok Walking The Tightrope
The matter of young people using social media continues to divide opinion. With AI-enabled “sexploitation” on the rise, major platforms are moving to curb the production of abusive imagery – while also limiting the time that teenagers spend on their platforms.
While promising, these measures could be interpreted as an admission of defeat on behalf of the major social networking sites. Generative AI, which is evolving at a scarcely believable rate, poses a unique risk for young people – and the workers tasked with inoculating them against the potential threat. A recent report by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) found that online child abuse rose by over 12% in 2023 compared with the previous year, with AI a significant driver.
Logically, this problem will only continue to unfold, with sites such as TikTok and Meta traversing a precarious line between safeguarding their younger users and turning people away from their platforms. With 25% of TikTok users in the 10-19 age bracket, the company can scarcely afford to dismiss its younger audience.
