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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Robert Booth Technology editor

‘Gruesome videos’: social media pushes distressing news to children, experts say

Two children on their mobile phones under the bedsheet
An online safety organisation has found children have been worried by seeing war, violence and death in news stories on their feeds. Photograph: lakshmiprasad S/Alamy

More than half of children who get news from social media are left worried and upset after seeing content that involves war, violence and death, according to new research that found social media companies are “pushing” distressing news to children who are not seeking it.

Videos of the murder of Charlie Kirk, the Liverpool parade car-ramming attack, scenes from wars, shootings, stabbings and car crashes have recently been pushed into children’s feeds, research by Internet Matters, an online safety organisation, has found. As a result, 39% of those who saw distressing content described themselves as very or extremely upset and worried by it.

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