Tag: social media

Lead the Way members produce case study on University of Edinburgh Hockey Club’s mental health initiatives

Three members of Scottish Hockey’s Lead the Way initiative who have been involved in the mental health work undertaken by the University of Edinburgh Women’s Hockey Club have produced a case study to help others.

Eilidh Campbell, Emma Lambert and Hana Nasser from the 2020-21 Lead the Way cohort, alongside club Welfare Officer Iona Grant, developed it to share with hockey and sports clubs across Scotland as a means of promoting and supporting mental health initiatives within clubs.

Eilidh explained: “Emma and I are both on the Lead the Way programme. During one of our discussions, we talked about mental health in hockey, especially over the lockdowns, and about what our clubs had done to help members and support people.

“Edinburgh University has done a really good job, so we talked about everything we had done as well as what worked well for us personally and for the people we know.

“Then Scottish Hockey got in contact and asked if we would be interested in putting a case study together on the things we had done and its impact.”

Eilidh and Emma approached Iona Grant and Hana Nasser to help with the case study as they had both played a role in the club’s approach to mental health.

Hana had come up with the idea of having the club post anonymous stories on its social media pages detailing members’ personal mental health experiences. People could submit their stories via an anonymous online form to shine a light on mental health while tackling stigma.

Hana said, “I was doing a masters degree at Edinburgh University and had always been intrigued by athletes’ mental health. I saw that people did not really talk about their mental health, especially if they are athletes, so I put forward an idea to the hockey club then watched it grow arms and legs.

“Iona, as Welfare and Inclusivity Officer, took it on, with Eilidh and Emma getting involved. I had got the idea from the Humans of New York Instagram page – it is run by a New York photographer who takes photographs of random New Yorkers then asks them to tell him their stories. I thought it would be interesting to do that from the angle of mental health in sport.”

Emma, then Publicity Secretary for Edinburgh University, said: “Reaction from the first post was great, and because it was an anonymous submission everyone got on board because they saw it as a positive step.

“It was good to hear what other people were going through. We may all think we know what is going on in our club and team, but then you realise that you do not. So, to hear what was really going on was a positive step.

“We operated through a Google form, and the link is in every post and on the bio of our Instagram and Facebook. Anyone can post. You do not have to be anonymous, and a lot of people have chosen not to be. It is your call whether or not you self-identify.”

One of the main findings was that the Welfare and Inclusivity Officer role at the club has been vitally important in supporting members with mental health issues and promoting inclusivity within the club.

Iona explained, “Welfare and Inclusivity is a big role; mental health problems are so common. We all have our own mental health awareness and the stigma that continues to be attached to mental health issues is highly detrimental.

“As a club, we believed it was important to start tackling the stigma surrounding mental health. What we saw was a gap between people coping with their mental health on an individual level and opting to seek professional help.

“My role sought to help bridge that gap. I promote all the services that are available in Edinburgh, many that people do not even know exist, but I am also a face that people in the club recognise and one that is there to help and support them throughout whatever they are going through.

“I am not there to solve people’s problems, I’m not a councillor or a healthcare professional, but I’m there to lend an ear and promote the services that are available.”

Edinburgh University has been working on expanding the welfare officer role across its entire sports offering, highlighting especially the success of the position at the hockey club. 

Recent graduate Hana is now also using her experience to work with her new committee at Watsonians Hockey Club to establish an Inclusivity and Diversity Officer role and to showcase the importance of such roles across Scottish sport.

The Lead the Way: University of Edinburgh Mental Health Initiatives Case Study is attached or can be found here: 

https://www.scottish-hockey.org.uk/lead-the-way-members-produce-case-study-on-university-of-edinburgh-hcs-mental-health-initiatives/ .

The Majority?: Unionists launch #ResignSturgeon campaign in run up to Holyrood elections

Yesterday The Majority, with the support of Scotland Matters, UK Union Voice and over 250 donors who contributed to a crowdfunding campaign, launched the #ResignSturgeon campaign, the first in a series of campaigns leading up to the Scottish Elections on May 6.

The campaign started with :

Three digital billboards

Glasgow – Clydeside Expressway (access near Lidl on Castlebank St)

Edinburgh – Slateford Road (next to Jewson)

Aberdeen – Market Street (at Union Square)

A #ResignSturgeon banner towed behind an aeroplane flying over: 

  • The Scottish Parliament Building in Holyrood and Edinburgh City Centre
  • Glasgow City Centre and Finnieston Crane area

The campaign is a message to Nicola Sturgeon to ‘take responsibility for her Government’s catastrophic handling of the Alex Salmond Harassment Inquiry, which cost the taxpayer well over £500,000 in damages to Salmond plus hundreds of thousands of pounds more in Scottish Government legal fees, as well as the cost of the ongoing inquiry’.

The group says Nicola Sturgeon hasn’t taken responsibility: ‘She has not fired anyone. The whole of Scotland is talking about her collusion, corruption and cover-up, instead of health, education and jobs. She must resign so the country can move on.’

The campaign message — #ResignSturgeon — is part of an ongoing grassroots hashtag campaign on Twitter that has had hundreds of thousands of retweets and responses and regularly appears on Twitter’s ‘trending’ lists of the social network’s most popular hashtags.

The campaign is funded in part by donations to a crowdfunder, run by The Majority, that has raised almost £6500 to date. https://donorbox.org/billboard-campaign

Mark Devlin of The Majority: “We represent the silent majority of people in Scotland, who are angry and frustrated by Nicola Sturgeon’s shenanigans bringing international shame on Scotland.

“The Scottish public deserve a Parliament and First Minister above reproach and want the Scottish Government to focus on health, education, jobs and the pandemic.

“Instead we have a First Minister misleading parliament, breaking the ministerial code and withholding information from an inquiry into her government’s unlawful, unfair and biased actions against Alex Salmond, all while totally neglecting her day job.”

Alan Sutherland from Scotland Matters: “We call on the First Minister to do the right thing for Scotland: resign and let us focus on recovery from the pandemic.

“She has done great damage to our country and Parliament’s reputation, here and abroad, by conducting an undignified, very public dispute with her former SNP colleague, while preventing the Salmond enquiry from seeing evidence that is crucial to a proper investigation.”

The Majority says it is Scotland’s leading anti-Nationalist media. Since its founding in June, 2020, it has grown to almost 50,000 social media followers.

It aims to unite Scotland’s anti-Nationalist majority; say NO to IndyRef2; Expose Nationalism as a toxic ideology; Support effective anti-Nationalist politicians; and criticise media appeasement.

Website: https://themajority.scot  

Twitter: @themajorityscot   

Facebook: @themajorityscot

48% of Edinburgh teens fall for fake news on social media

  • New research exploring teenagers’ in Edinburgh perceptions of fake news
  • Research reveals 48%of teens in Edinburgh say they have fallen for fake news before.
  • 23% of Edinburgh teens think fake news refers to things Donald Trump claims to be untrue
  • Vodafone’s Digital Parenting magazine has released advice for families on how to tackle fake news: www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting/rollup-fakenews.

Vodafone UK has published new research exploring teenagers’ perceptions of ‘fake news’, misinformation and the reliability of the information they find online. 

Almost a half (48%) of teenagers in Edinburgh have fallen for fake news and 47% of teenagers surveyed said they were more aware of fake news in 2020 compared to previous years. Vodafone has released tips for parents and children on how to deal with fake news on its Digital Parenting hub.

The research shows that young people in Edinburgh are regularly exposed to fake news, with teenagers reporting to see fake stories an average of 12 times per month, and 23% believing they think they see fake news every day.

Perceptions around fake news

Three in four (73%) of teenagers in Edinburgh correctly identified fake news as ‘misleading information which is presented as news and spread online’.

However, wider perceptions around fake news indicate a lack of comprehensive understanding on the subject – with 23% thinking fake news refers to ‘things Donald Trump claims to be untrue’.

Topics of fake news

With the spread of misinformation reaching new highs last year,the research highlights key topics of fake news in 2020 for Edinburgh teens: Covid-19 and the vaccine (50%), Celebrities (40%), Donald Trump (37%), the end of the world (27%) and the UK lockdowns (20%)

Identifying fake news

Just half (57%) of teenagers in Edinburgh think they can distinguish fake news from the truth. However, the research indicates that tech-savvy teens are using their digital skills to spot the real from the fake, and almost a half (47%) of teenagers in Edinburgh think they are better equipped to spot fake news than their parents.

Main sources of fake news

Predictably, four in five (80%) in Edinburgh reported seeing the most fake news on social media platforms – far higher than on news websites (13%).  

Combating fake news

Encouragingly, 17% of teenagers in Edinburgh say someone has taught them how to spot and report fake news and combat misinformation, with this person most likely to be a parent (80%), or a teacher (40%). And, 20% have learnt how to spot fake news using an online resource.

Helen Lamprell, General Counsel and External Affairs Director, Vodafone UK, said: “It’s clear from our research that fake news amongst Edinburgh teens is a widespread issue – and is not going away with Donald Trump.

“It’s so important to educate everyone on the importance of safety online and how to identify fake news. Our Vodafone Digital Parenting Hub has useful resources and advice for what to watch out for and how best to tackle it.”

Emma Robertson from Digital Awareness UK, said: “Since the start of the pandemic we’ve seen a dramatic and worrying spike in the number of young people and their families being exposed to fake news and scams.

“Many of us are being inundated with false information about vaccinations, miraculous COVID-19 cures, politics and so on. It’s critical that young people have the digital skills they need to spot fake news and really think about whether the information we are seeing online could be misinformation or disinformation.

“Fake news reportedly spreads six times faster than real news, so it’s up to all of us to help others identify it and think twice before sharing.”

Vodafone’s Digital Parenting Tips – Five ways to spot fake news

To avoid being tricked by fake news, ask your child to consider these questions:

  • Is it being reported elsewhere – have you seen this story in other places e.g. on TV or radio?
  • Is the site name normal – do you trust the website where you saw this story? Check the URL: it should have .org or .com or .co.uk at the end, not an unusual jumble of letters.
  • Do the photos and videos look accurate or could they be photoshopped? 
  • Headlines matter – but so does content: read the entire piece before you share a story to be sure it’s an article you are happy to endorse.
  • If you’re unsure – ask a trusted adult for a view.

For more advice on navigating fake news, visit: 

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/mobile/digital-parenting/rollup-fakenews

Donald Trump permanently suspended from Twitter

Following Thursday’s scenes at the Capitol, twitter made the following statement on Friday:

After close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence. 

In the context of horrific events this week, we made it clear on Wednesday that additional violations of the Twitter Rules would potentially result in this very course of action. Our public interest framework exists to enable the public to hear from elected officials and world leaders directly. It is built on a principle that the people have a right to hold power to account in the open. 

However, we made it clear going back years that these accounts are not above our rules entirely and cannot use Twitter to incite violence, among other things. We will continue to be transparent around our policies and their enforcement. 

The below is a comprehensive analysis of our policy enforcement approach in this case.

Overview

On January 8, 2021, President Donald J. Trump Tweeted:

“The 75,000,000 great American Patriots who voted for me, AMERICA FIRST, and MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, will have a GIANT VOICE long into the future. They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!”

Shortly thereafter, the President Tweeted:

“To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.”

Due to the ongoing tensions in the United States, and an uptick in the global conversation in regards to the people who violently stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, these two Tweets must be read in the context of broader events in the country and the ways in which the President’s statements can be mobilized by different audiences, including to incite violence, as well as in the context of the pattern of behavior from this account in recent weeks.

After assessing the language in these Tweets against our Glorification of Violence policy, we have determined that these Tweets are in violation of the Glorification of Violence Policy and the user @realDonaldTrump should be immediately permanently suspended from the service.

Assessment

We assessed the two Tweets referenced above under our Glorification of Violence policy, which aims to prevent the glorification of violence that could inspire others to replicate violent acts and determined that they were highly likely to encourage and inspire people to replicate the criminal acts that took place at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

This determination is based on a number of factors, including:

  • President Trump’s statement that he will not be attending the Inauguration is being received by a number of his supporters as further confirmation that the election was not legitimate and is seen as him disavowing his previous claim made via two Tweets (1, 2) by his Deputy Chief of Staff, Dan Scavino, that there would be an “orderly transition” on January 20th.
  • The second Tweet may also serve as encouragement to those potentially considering violent acts that the Inauguration would be a “safe” target, as he will not be attending. 
  • The use of the words “American Patriots” to describe some of his supporters is also being interpreted as support for those committing violent acts at the US Capitol.
  • The mention of his supporters having a “GIANT VOICE long into the future” and that “They will not be disrespected or treated unfairly in any way, shape or form!!!” is being interpreted as further indication that President Trump does not plan to facilitate an “orderly transition” and instead that he plans to continue to support, empower, and shield those who believe he won the election. 
  • Plans for future armed protests have already begun proliferating on and off-Twitter, including a proposed secondary attack on the US Capitol and state capitol buildings on January 17, 2021. 

As such, our determination is that the two Tweets above are likely to inspire others to replicate the violent acts that took place on January 6, 2021, and that there are multiple indicators that they are being received and understood as encouragement to do so.

Now also facing impeachment, just how the outgoing President will respond remains to be seen – but it certainly won’t be on Twitter!

Mull’s An Tobar launch film studio to record music for broadcast

AS a result of the current pandemic, a film studio for recording music performances has been set up in An Tobar, with the cameras being remotely controlled, recorded, and edited by operators in Perth and Linlithgow, without having to step foot in the venue.

Over the winter, Music For Winter Solitude, a series of music performances are being created with the first release by Whyte going out live on An Tobar’s Facebook page, Vimeo, and YouTube channels, on Thursday 3 December at 8pm.

A media preview of the first gig by Whyte can be found here:
https://vimeo.com/481413814/b0e0a78483.

For nearly 25 years, An Tobar has welcomed many great musicians to its tiny venue in Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.

With music from all genres, it has enjoyed concerts by Laura Marling with the singer saying that ‘An Tobar was her favourite venue’, John Renbourn, Amy MacDonald, Frightened Rabbit, The Scottish Ensemble, Tommy Smith, Dougie MacLean, Idlewild, Phil Cunningham & Aly Bain, Karen Matheson, British Sea Power and many more.

2020 was looking to be a good year for the venue, having won the ‘Venue of the Year’ award at the Scottish Traditional Music Awards and a great programme had been lined up to celebrate this accolade. Then Covid-19 hit, and everything stopped. After a month, it became clear it was going to be some time before gigs were possible in the way they had been before.

Gordon Maclean, director of Music, had an initial plan to aim for a period of documentation with musicians still being allowed to work in isolation at An Tobar.

The venue has a long history of producing remarkable records and the studio has always worked alongside the performance season. He thought, maybe it could film musicians working in the studio and sought advice from Gary Ebdy, a lighting designer for concerts and live events and Dr Tom Spink, a senior researcher in Computing Systems Architecture at the University of Edinburgh.

Gordon Maclean, director of Music at An Tobar said: “Having worked with Gary Ebdy from Lunas Live in the past, I was looking for some advice about setting things up and our conversation took a creative path until we arrived at the current set up where we use five remote-controlled cameras to record an in-studio performance.

“I’m upstairs in the studio control room and the band is in the live room so our interaction is minimal. Gary, Tom, and I complete most of the setup before the musicians arrive.

“The musicians live in local holiday houses in isolation and contact between them and local people is virtually non-existent. We all felt it was vital that musicians should feel safe working here and that the Mull population would feel safe having them on the island.”

He added: “This production facility has been made possible through generous support from Creative Scotland who have invested in their portfolio organisations to allow them to rethink how they produce work in a world with no audience.

“With the arts in a precarious situation, we are so grateful that it has allowed us to create opportunities for self-employed artists and crews.”

The design needed to be a robust system that worked within the constraints of the available broadband connection at the venue.

This involved developing an architecture that allowed access to the cameras and recording equipment remotely, and reliably – should they encounter connection issues. The system communicates with a cloud server down in London, which then relays information back to its operating locations in Perth and Linlithgow.

From there, they can watch live camera feeds, and adjust camera positions by sending commands back to Mull (again, via London). Effectively, when a keyboard button is pressed, the signal travels down to London, back up to Mull, and into their operating equipment – all in the blink of an eye!

The communication needs to be super-low latency so that they can effectively operate the camera equipment, and observe what’s going on. They’ve had to build on several technologies – from camera hardware, through to low-latency networking protocols to bring this together.

This new digital format will result in the following performances:

Thursday 3 December, 8pm: Whyte (FREE)

Thursday 17 December, 8pm: Duncan Chisholm (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)

Thursday 7 January, 8pm: Rachel Jack with her band (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)

Thursday 21 January, 8pm: Pete Harvey and the Pumpkinseeds String Quartet performing a new piece commissioned by An Tobar (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)

Thursday 4 February, 8pm: Roddy Woomble (PAY WHAT YOU CAN)

Viewing Platforms
Facebook: @AnTobarArts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZYNNhZF7qbV0g6fqBL_FA
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/antobarandmulltheatre

Nearly one in 10 have fallen victim to scam adverts on social media or search engines

Platforms fail to adequately protect users, says Which?

Almost one in 10 people (9%) have fallen victim to online scam ads via social media sites or search engines as platforms fail to tackle a flood of bogus ads posted by fraudsters, new research from Which? reveals.

The consumer champion is calling for the government to give tech giants greater legal responsibility for preventing scam content from appearing on their sites, after hundreds of people shared their often distressing stories of falling victim to convincing purchase scams. 

A purchase scam is when a consumer is misled into paying in advance for goods that are never received or are not at all as described. They are increasingly common on popular websites and platforms with criminals creating fake websites and documents that seem genuine to trick their victims. 

With 43 million adult social media users in the UK, Which?’s research suggests that some 3.8 million people might have fallen victim to a scam from an advert that appeared on their social media feed. 

When Which? separately asked for victims of social media purchase scams to get in touch, its researchers heard from more than 200 people in just 48 hours. 

One victim, Christine, ordered a CBD oil product advertised on Facebook that had been  falsely ‘endorsed’ by Fern Britton and David Attenborough. She was promised a sample for £2.50, but £170 was later taken from her bank account. 

She told Which? the money was “more than my weekly pension and I’m so upset. It happened weeks ago but I can’t stop thinking about it”. Christine is worried she faces a fight on her hands to get her money back because she did receive a sample, although she doesn’t think it is genuine CBD oil.

Which? surveyed 2,000 members of the public, asking those who use social media and search engines about their experiences of adverts on these platforms. It found that nine per cent of social media users had fallen victim to a scam ad on social media feeds. The same proportion of search engine users also reported falling victim to a scam ad on those. 

It also revealed that six in 10 (64%) social media users and almost six in 10 (57%) search engine users said they were confident they could spot these scams. But previous Which? research has suggested this confidence is misplaced – which could create a perfect breeding ground for scams.  

Louise from Birmingham regularly shops at Ted Baker and started seeing convincing ads for what she thought was a Ted Baker Outlet store on Twitter over a couple of days. She visited the site linked to the advert and paid £75 for a discounted bag and shoes. 

She never received her order and is still waiting for her bank to decide whether it will refund her. The retailer’s Twitter account had already been suspended before Which? flagged it. “I will never, ever buy anything I’ve seen on a social media advert again,” she said.

Ryan, 24, thought he was buying a keyboard and mouse through a retailer advertising on Google’s shopping results. He paid £65 but ended up receiving a cheap iPhone case instead. “To get a refund I had to return the case to an address in China at a cost of £35, which is obviously ridiculous,” he said. 

Ryan paid with PayPal, which is still investigating. He said he didn’t report the advert to Google because he did not know how to. Which?’s researchers found that Google’s tool for reporting adverts in its search results involved filling in a long form which could put people off using it.

While the sums of money involved in these scams may appear small to some people, Which?’s investigation suggests that online ad scams are happening on an industrial scale. They also provide fraudsters with sensitive information about victims that could potentially be used to mount future attacks. 

Over the last 12 months, Action Fraud says that it has received 83,822 online shopping fraud reports, with reported losses reaching around £62.3 million over that period. 

Which? believes social media sites and search engines must be far more proactive in preventing scam ads from appearing on their platforms in the first place, particularly as people are more reliant on shopping and socialising online than ever this winter.

Platforms have launched initiatives to deal with scam adverts but many of them rely on users having to report these themselves. This leaves lots of people still exposed to scam ads and at risk of falling victim before they are reported and taken down.  

Which?’s investigations continue to expose the harms consumers face when shopping and socialising online. The consumer champion is calling for online platforms to be given greater legal responsibility to prevent scam content appearing on their platforms. The government has an ideal opportunity to deliver this in the upcoming online harms bill, but if it is not included, ministers must set out proposals for new laws to protect consumers from online scams.

Adam French, Consumer Rights Expert at Which?, said: “Our research suggests that online purchase scams are taking place on an industrial scale, with scam victims suffering significant financial and emotional harm when they are targeted by fraudsters.

“Despite being known for innovation, social media sites and search engines are lagging behind scammers, seemingly taking little responsibility for stopping misinformation and harmful content from reaching their users. 

“The government must step in and protect consumers by giving online platforms more legal responsibility to prevent scam content from appearing in the first place.”

Which?’s advice on what to do if you’ve been scammed by an online advert

  • It is possible to get your money back in many cases, although the process might be time consuming and inconvenient.
  • If you paid using a credit or debit card your money is covered by card protections. Ask your bank if you’re eligible to claim using chargeback or Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
  • When you use PayPal, your money should be protected by its Buyer Protection policy. You can make a claim through your PayPal account. 
  • If you paid using a bank transfer, contact your bank as soon as possible and ask if it can help you. This kind of fraud on social media is on the rise, according to UK Finance.
  • Find out more about how to recover your money after a scam

How do I report a scam advert on social media or search engines?

Additional case study information

James, from Lancashire, spotted an advert on Facebook for a Little Tikes clearance sale. It linked to a website that was convincingly branded to look like the official Little Tikes website, so he paid £105 for a climbing frame.

But it never turned up, and the website has since disappeared. 

“It’s been so frustrating. It’s unbelievable scams can be so easily advertised on Facebook.” James said.

Fortunately his bank was “very helpful” and because he paid using a credit card, it refunded his money.

One victim in his 50s told Which? he’s been conned six times after buying products he’s seen advertised on social media, including shoes, toys and tools. He has lost around £200 in total.

Additional statistics from the market research

  • 73 per cent of social media users aged 18-34 said they were confident they could spot a scam, although Which? research earlier this year into scams on Facebook suggested this group may actually be more vulnerable to being scammed on social media.
  • 49 per cent of search engine users surveyed trust that the retailers that appear in their search engine’s results are safe from scams. Only 35 per cent of social media users say they trust the retailers that appear on their social media feed are safe from scams.
  • Which? has revealed its top tips to shop smartly this winter, warning deals that look too good to be true often are: https://www.which.co.uk/reviews/shopping/article/online-shopping/online-shopping-top-tips-to-stay-safe-and-save-money-aMgbs0Q4k6U4

Which? calls for action over toll of online scams

Social media users are seriously underestimating their chances of falling victim to online fraud and suffering devastating emotional and financial consequences because tech giants are not doing enough to warn and protect them, Which? is warning.

The consumer champion’s latest research using an online community of Facebook users showed that a majority were lulled into a false sense of security by the platform’s social nature. They mistakenly assumed they could spot fraud and that the company’s systems would protect them effectively. 

However Which? found a third of participants did not know that fake products might be advertised on the site – putting them at risk of falling victim to purchase scams. A quarter did not spot an investment scam advert with a fake endorsement from a celebrity.

If this was to be replicated across Facebook’s user base of 44 million Britons, huge numbers of users could potentially be at risk from fraudsters who lure in victims with fake accounts, posts and paid-for ads on the site.

The financial consequences for those tricked by these fraudsters as well as those who post scam adverts on websites and search engines like Google can be devastating.

Which? has heard from many victims of these types of scams  – including a man who lost almost £100,000 after clicking on an online investment advert featuring fake endorsements from MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis and Deborah Meaden from BBC show Dragons’ Den. 

The emotional consequences are equally serious. Scam victims told Which? that it had shaken their confidence in themselves and their ability to trust other people. A woman who lost £30,000 to an investment scam which featured prominently on Google said she still feels shame and despair 15 months on from her ordeal, adding: “It breaks you as a person.”

Which? is calling on the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to act now and include online scams in the upcoming Online Harms Bill so that consumers are protected from this huge and growing problem. 

Which? carried out in-depth research with an online community of Facebook users over 10 days, and also conducted a nationally representative online survey including 1,700 Facebook users, as part of its new policy report ‘Connecting the world to fraudsters? Protecting social media users from scams’. 

The research found that older social media users are often more concerned about scams, and perceived as being at greater risk by their fellow users. But the findings suggested that younger people may actually be more susceptible to scams as they are more persuadable and more likely to take risks, such as taking part in online shopping and quizzes used by some fraudsters.

Knowledge among users of what Facebook does to protect people from becoming a victim of a scam was low, although users assumed Facebook did have systems and processes in place. However, when details of Facebook’s actual systems and processes were explained, users were sceptical about their effectiveness and questioned whether they are sufficient.

Just three in 10 (30%) respondents to Which?’s online survey of Facebook users said they were aware of the scam ad reporting tool introduced by the site in 2019. Only a third of these, 10 per cent overall, said they had used the tool themselves.

Which?’s research was conducted with a focus on Facebook due to its size and influence in the social media landscape. However, the consumer champion believes that the findings and implications of this research can be reasonably extended to apply to other similar social networking sites and online platforms.

The amount of money lost to fraud every year is huge. In the year to June 2020,  Action Fraud received 822,276 fraud reports, and the value of losses from reported incidents was £2.3 billion. Action Fraud estimates that 85 per cent of all fraud in the year to June 2020 was carried out digitally.

Which? spoke to one man, retired and in his seventies, who lost almost £100,000 to a Bitcoin scam, which started in February 2019, by a company called Fibonetix. He had seen an online advert which had fake endorsements from celebrities including MoneySavingExpert’s Martin Lewis and businesswoman Deborah Meaden.

The man, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Which?: “Being scammed in this way was utterly devastating. I think about it virtually every day and it’s really affected my confidence, my ability to make decisions and has ultimately changed the person that I am. Fortunately I have been able to get through it with the support of my family.”

Another victim, a sound engineer in her forties, was searching for investment advice on Google and ended up filling in contact details with a firm that seemed legitimate. Receiving a phone call a few days later she then ended up falling victim to an incredibly sophisticated scam, which took place over several weeks, and lost £30,000. Her case is currently being investigated by the Financial Ombudsman Service.

She says the experience has impacted her mental and physical health and that “it’s been really traumatic. At the time it felt like no one cared or wanted to discuss my case with me. It breaks you as a human being and leaves you scared of the outside world.”

Despite it happening 15 months ago she says: “It’s still hard to trust yourself and others. Often people think these things only happen to older people and it takes a long time to not feel like an idiot. There’s a lot of shame and despair which hasn’t gone away and I’m still awaiting closure to this day.”

Which? is calling for online platforms, including social media sites, to be given greater responsibility to prevent scam content appearing on their platforms.

The government has a perfect opportunity to deliver this in the upcoming online harms bill, and if not ministers must set out their proposals for further legislative action to effectively protect consumers from online scams.

Rocio Concha, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Which?, said: “The financial and emotional toll of scams can be devastating and it is clear that social media firms such as Facebook are failing to step up and properly protect users from fraudsters on their sites. 

“The time for serious action on online scams is now. If the government doesn’t grasp the opportunity to deliver this in the upcoming online harms bill, it must urgently come forward with new proposals to stem the growing tide of sophisticated scams by criminals online.” 

CHARITIES AGAINST HATE

An update from HEALTH IN MIND

Following on from our July joint statement, we want to give an update on what we’ve been doing to address hate speech on social media:

Health in Mind is now an active member of The Third Sector Social Media Working Group (Charities Against Hate). The group has been created to review ethical social media and marketing practices and policies.

Charities and non-profits use social media for fundraising, relationship-building, raising awareness of key issues, supporting their services, providing vital and trusted information and more. We are working together to develop longer-term recommendations for real and meaningful changes to ensure these platforms do not support or provide a place for, online hate which causes real harm to real people.

As part of investigating potential platform changes, we are currently looking at: the experience for our beneficiaries, staff and volunteers on social media and their involvement in shaping this project; ethical partner policies for the sector and the impact on wider fundraising; existing data and information on the impact of hate speech on mental health; and ethical marketing practices for the sector.

Our power comes from working together. We aim to produce a collective proposal of clear and concise changes that will benefit the communities we serve at large, and to make recommendations to social media owners, policy makers and the wider public by the end of the year.

We’ll be sharing updates on our social media.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or would like to share your experience.

Email: laura.andre@health-in-mind.org.uk

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UK’s internet use surges to record levels

Adults in the UK are now spending more than a quarter of their waking day online with services such as TikTok and Zoom seeing unprecedented growth, according to Ofcom’s latest study into the nation’s online lives.

Ofcom’s annual Online Nation report shows that in April 2020, during the height of the coronavirus lockdown, UK adults spent a daily average of four hours and two minutes online. This is up from just under three and a half hours in September last year.

With people looking for new ways to keep connected, informed, entertained and fit during the pandemic, video-sharing and video-calling services are surging in popularity.

TikTok, which allows users to create and share short dance, lip-sync, comedy and talent videos, reached 12.9 million UK adult visitors in April, up from just 5.4 million in January. Twitch, the popular live streaming platform for video gamers, saw visitors increase from 2.3 million to 4.2 million adults.

The proportion of people making video calls has also doubled during lockdown, with more than seven in 10 doing so at least weekly. Houseparty, the app which combines group video-calls with games and quizzes, grew from 175,000 adult visitors in January to 4 million in April. But the biggest growth was seen by Zoom, the virtual meeting platform, which grew from 659,000 users to reach 13 million users over the same period – a rise of almost 2,000%.

A nation of content creators

Sites and apps such as YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok, which allow people to create, upload and share videos online, have never been so popular.

Our report reveals that nine in 10 adults, and almost all older children aged 8-15, with access to the internet used at least one of these in the last year, with many doing so several times a day. One third (32%) of online adults now spend more time viewing video-sharing services than broadcast television.

And we’re not only watching but creating and broadcasting our own content too. Two in five adults (40%) and 59% of older children who use video-sharing sites and apps now create and upload their own videos, driving an explosion in short-form, user-generated content.

Vlogging is also a money-making enterprise, with 17% of adults who create and upload videos receiving revenue or gifts in return. With some vloggers going on to achieve global celebrity status, the proportion of children under 13 who aspire to become a ‘YouTuber’ had increased by 19% by the end of 2019 compared to 2018. Boys in particular are more likely to consider it as a career.

A graph showing how many users of video-sharing services upload videos.

How the pandemic is changing communications

Our study shows that, before the pandemic, many people were moving away from more established forms of communication – particularly landline calls and SMS text messages – and adopting newer methods.

A graph showing that adult internet users are as likely to send a message by WhatsApp and they are to send an SMS.

In the 12 months to February 2020, more people were sending daily text messages using online messaging platforms (52%), such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, than using SMS (41%) or email (26%). Daily use of online voice calls (31%) was only slightly lower than mobile calls (38%).

The pandemic appears to have sped up the adoption of online services to keep in touch. More than seven in 10 people in the UK are now making video calls at least weekly, up from 35% pre-lockdown. This trend is particularly noticeable among older internet users; the proportion of online adults aged 65+ who make a least one video-call each week increased from 22% in February 2020 to 61% by May 2020.

Confident but cautious

For many adults and children, watching or creating content on video-sharing sites or apps is a positive experience. But 87% of adults – and 79% of 8 to 15 year olds – have concerns around children using these platforms. Bullying or trolling, harmful or age-inappropriate content and receiving private messages from strangers are among the top concerns.

Adults’ trust in sites to remove illegal, offensive and harmful material has grown by seven percentage points since last year, to 54%. Nevertheless, most adults (57%) continue to support greater regulation of video-sharing platforms (64% in 2019).

Ofcom is preparing to take on new duties for the regulation of UK-based video-sharing platforms. This summer, we will be publishing a call for evidence to inform our guidance on how platforms should protect users from harmful content.

Yih-Choung Teh, Ofcom’s Director of Strategy and Research, said: “Lockdown may leave a lasting digital legacy. The coronavirus has radically changed the way we live, work and communicate online, with millions of people using online video services for the first time.

“As the way we communicate evolves and people broaden their online horizons, our role is to help ensure that people have a positive experience, and that they’re safe and protected.”

Travel influencers should stick to low-cost staycations, says expert

  • Travel influencers and social media celebrities have been urged to stop promoting expensive holidays abroad, in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. 
  • The influencer marketing industry is predicted to be worth over $15 billion  by 2022, with the fastest-growing platforms being TikTok and Instagram. 
  • The average person still exceeds climate change targets by 7.8 tonnes of CO2 each year, while the tourism industry accounts for 8% of global warming. 
  • Celebrities must take responsibility for influencing where fans go on holiday and must champion climate change to avoid hypocriticism, expert says. 

Social media influencers must place more emphasis on promoting affordable staycations in place of extravagant holidays abroad to help curb climate change, experts advise. 

According to EU recommendations, the maximum amount of CO2 that can be generated per person from flying is 0.6 tonnes. However, the average person currently generates 8.4 tonnes of carbon emissions each year – exceeding the target level 14 times over.

Air travel is detrimental to the environment now more than ever as the number of airline passengers worldwide has doubled over the past two decades. This needs to be curbed, as each additional metric ton of CO2 shrinks the Arctic summer sea ice cover by 32 square feet.

Ketti Wilhelm, Founder of TiltedMap, is in favour of staycations being promoted online to reshape the way we perceive travelling abroad, saying: “All the uncertainty brought by Covid-19 makes this travel season a perfect time to try staying closer to home. 

“Coronavirus will remind people to travel more thoughtfully – this means commuting and excess business trips, but also that nagging obligation of the Instagram era to always be going further away, to more exotic destinations – even if only for a short trip.”

Dr Andrew Welfle from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of Manchester, believes that influencers who promote holidays abroad without mention of climate change are hypocritical.

He says: “Aviation from its early days has been a glamorous way to travel, and many millions of pounds are now spent on promoting tourism to destinations where it is only practical to get to via air travel. 

“Seeing celebrities and influencers enjoying destinations via TV, film and social media channels provides a further ‘pull’ factor that makes aviation travel even more attractive. Celebrities therefore have a level of responsibility in influencing tourism.

“In addition, celebrities who champion environmental issues such as climate change and then go on to extensively fly, risk undermining their environmental messaging – something not lost on the public.”

As well as on social media, this championing must be mirrored at political level in order to be effective, said Dr Welfle. “There is a greater role our UK politicians can play in promoting many of the UK’s great holiday destinations.

“This would bring jobs and money to UK holiday destinations and at the same time reduce the UK’s contribution to aviation emissions.”

This commentary comes as a new political pollution study reveals that EU and US leaders are still set to exceed climate change recommendations by a staggering 230 tonnes of CO2, despite a drop in emissions resulting from Covid-19 travel bans.