EDITORIAL: Tackling horrific online violence must be a priority

The images of violence are so graphic it is unfathomable that they could even take place.

A special investigation by The Nightly can reveal that horrific unfiltered footage of people being murdered, mutilated and tortured is slipping into the feeds of anyone with a smartphone, including children who are potentially being normalised to violent content they should never see.

What is equally unfathomable is the ease with which these images can be found and viewed.

Graphic videos so shocking they would be R-rated or banned under the Australian Film Classification system now flood the internet unprompted.

And Australia’s online safety watchdog, the office of the e-Safety Commission, admits it “doesn’t have the perfect tools” to stop the gore that can appear on our screens.

During the investigation, it took just minutes for graphic footage of shootings and cold-blooded killings to appear on our reporter’s Meta-owned Instagram feed.

Moments after engaging with an account, the algorithm keeps pumping screens full of horrific images — giving users little reprieve from content historically found on the darkest parts on the internet.

Despite sensitive content warnings, the sickening videos and images are still available to view by anyone of any age.

Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, Dr Tama Leaver says algorithms aimed at detecting harmful content struggle to differentiate real and fake violence, making its complete removal impossible.

While some footage may automatically get removed, Instagram was still mostly reliant on people reporting videos to be taken down.

Australian Psychological Association President Dr Catriona David-McCabe said violent videos viewed by young people could normalise dangerous behaviours in the community.

This was a massive risk for young people because they could view things online that their brains were not developed enough to be witnessing.

Australia’s e-Safety commissioner Julie Inman Grant told The Nightly that “no country” has perfect tools to hold all of the big social media companies to account — including Australia.

There is no doubt that social media is a jungle and regulators appear to be fighting a losing battle.

In June, Elon Musk struck a decisive blow when Ms Inman Grant announced she would withdraw from her fight to make X remove graphic footage of a church stabbing in Sydney.

The decision was partially based on the cost of the legal fight, she said.

But the problems remain and continue to grow.

So there must be an increased effort by the Government to tackle this insidious threat.

All tools at the disposal of the authorities need to be considered, whether that be greater fines, bans, or take-down powers.

And of course, it goes without saying that parents need to play their part too in protecting their children.

The ramifications if we do not take on this battle and make it a priority are too horrible to contemplate.