Imperial academics inform policymakers on preventing online harms

Preventing online harms, an issue at the forefront of health and digital policymaking, was the focus of The Forum's first ever online panel event. The discussion explored social media, algorithms and online harms, seeking to answer how we can protect young and vulnerable people online. Children's exposure to online harms. Dr Nejra Van Zalk from Imperial's Dyson School of Design Engineering outlined the issues facing young people online and her proposed solutions. She noted that 75% of young people have internet access, spending an average of almost 2.5 hours per day online, and are often exposed to harms such as pornography, radicalisation and unwanted sexual attention. "We need to move away from the attention economy" Dr Van Zalk Dr Van Zalk criticised social media platforms' addictive nature, calling for a fundamental change at the design level to move away from the "attention economy" and safeguard children and young people online. Regulating the internet.