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 West Australian 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. Australia’s online safety watchdog, the office of the eSafety 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 of the internet. Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University, Tama Leaver says algorithms aimed at detecting harmful content struggle to differentiate real and fake violence, making its complete removal impossible. Australian Psychological Association President Dr Catriona Davis-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. 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.