As it's Safer Internet Day, perhaps it's apposite to ask this question: can the social media companies be trusted? During the time I responded to the English government’s Green paper on internet safety, which puts all its faith in a voluntary code and voluntary contributions to a central fund, I read the following articles:
· Twitter, It’s Time to End Your Anything-Goes Paradise
· Google collects Android users’ locations even when location services are disabled
· Is Facebook beyond all hope as regards dialogue?
· We Can’t Trust Facebook to Regulate Itself
· Plus a couple of articles by Tanya Byron, pointing out that a voluntary code has failed in the UK for the past decade, but which are accessible only by subscription to The Times. However, this one makes the same points: NSPCC calls for mandatory social media code of practice.
There’s a common myth that the social media companies are too powerful to be brought into line. But when it comes to business practice, they have been, as evidenced by the implementation of new EU rules on VAT, cookies and data protection. Germany has done something about it:
So what’s the problem?
It seems to me that there are two sides to this. Yes, we need to teach kids (and adults) how to be safe online, but I also think the social media companies could do rather more to help.
This is a slightly amended version of an article originally published in my newsletter, Digital Education. Subscribe for free here: Newsletter.
"It’s true to say that the vast majority of children, whilst at different levels of risk, will not come to harm. But what can we as parents do to give ourselves a level of assurance that our children are safe and know what to do if they get into an unfamiliar situation, or one that makes them feel uncomfortable?" Alan MacKenzie gives some practical advice. 
“Young people can be sensible online – if they want to be”, says Ellie Gregson. Ellie offers a teen’s-eye view of staying safe online.
"Until adults move on from the dismissive and patronising position of ‘the online world isn’t real or valid’ we will continue to fail in the quality of the support we offer our children."
Simon Finch suggests a much more useful approach.