Instagram actively helping spread of self-harm among teenagers, study finds

Researchers say parent company Meta is failing to remove explicit images on the social media site

Meta is actively helping self-harm content to flourish on Instagram by failing to remove explicit images and encouraging those engaging with such content to befriend one another, according to a damning new study that found its moderation “extremely inadequate”.

Danish researchers created a private self-harm network on the social media platform, including fake profiles of people as young as 13 years old, in which they shared 85 pieces of self-harm-related content gradually increasing in severity, including blood, razor blades and encouragement of self-harm.

Topics

Fears for spread of malaria in Africa as study finds resistance to frontline drug

Signs of resistance to artemisinin in tenth of children with severe malaria similar to situation in Asia, say researchers. Researchers have found “troubling” evidence for the first time that a ...
World - The Guardian - November 14
American activists were behind efforts to spread conspiracies with bot networks, study finds

American political activists on the left and the right are using networks of social media followers that behave like bots to rapidly spread conspiracy theories.
Top stories - NBC News - November 1
Monkeys will never type Shakespeare, study finds

Australian researchers have poked holes in an old thought-experiment known as the "infinite monkey theorem".
Top stories - BBC News - November 1
A.D.H.D. Symptoms Are Milder With a Busy Schedule, Study Finds

New research suggests symptoms of the disorder may be less severe in those with a demanding schedule.
Health - The New York Times - November 13
Universe would die before monkey with keyboard writes Shakespeare, study finds

Australian mathematicians call into question the ‘infinite monkey theorem’ in new research on old adage. Mathematicians have called into question the old adage that a monkey typing randomly at a ...
World - The Guardian - November 1
1 in 4 Child Deaths After E.R. Visits Are Preventable, Study Finds

If every emergency room in the United States were fully prepared to treat children, thousands of lives would be saved and the cost would be $11.84 or less per child, researchers found.
Business - The New York Times - November 1