Centre For Abuse & Trauma Studies | Training

🔔 Important follow-up on #ContentModeration: Urgent need for #TraumaInformed support 🔔 Thank you all for the incredible response to our members' #new publication, "Content Moderator Coping Strategies: Associations with Psychological Distress, Secondary Trauma, and Wellbeing," in the Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications, authored by Dr. Ruth Spence, Prof Elena Martellozzo, PhD and Dr. Jeffrey DeMarco. Your engagement highlights just how #critical this conversation is for those who protect our online spaces. Key Findings: * "Talking to colleagues was significantly associated with less distress” — yet too many moderators lack trauma-informed resources that truly understand the intense pressures of their role 💬👥 * Confidentiality concerns and lack of specialised support lead many to avoid wellbeing services, leaving moderators vulnerable to #secondarytrauma and #psychologicaldistress 🛑 * Avoidant coping behaviors (e.g., increased smoking and drinking) signal a distress pattern that organizations need to address with real support 📉 Our #research shows that content moderators face a silent crisis. Trauma-informed support, confidentiality, and compassionate leadership are essential to protect the #mentalhealth of those #firstresponders on the digital frontline. We hope to contribute to ensure they get the #support they need. Stay with us and follow our page as we continue this critical work, and let’s make the mental #wellbeing of CMs a visible priority. #InvisibleRisks Read the article in Middlesex University's depository: https://lnkd.in/ex74428e #ContentModeration #MentalHealthMatters #TraumaInformedCare #DigitalSafety #InvisibleRisk

If you missed our face-to-face postgraduate research open evening, you can join us online at 4pm on 5 November. Middlesex University is home to 500 postgraduate research students and more than 1200 who study at partner institutions. These researchers focus on a wide range of topics in collaboration with leading experts in their fields. Our doctoral graduates go on to work in academia and in senior positions in industry. Many of our research students work or have other commitments, or live far from campus; in many cases (depending on the nature of the project) we are able to provide remote supervision and training. So an online meeting seems all the more appropriate if you are considering joining Middlesex. This open evening is your chance to find out more about what a research degree is, whether or not you are coming to Middlesex to do it. In fact, we might even suggest that you go elsewhere if your topic finds a better home elsewhere! We'll introduce you to the range of postgraduate research degrees we offer at the University, from the PhD to the DProf to the Masters by Research and others. You will have the opportunity to meet faculty members from different disciplines and find out more about our research centres and clusters. The evening includes an introduction to postgraduate research provisions and training and development programme; information about fees and external funding schemes; the opportunity to meet faculty staff and students; and a workshop on how to develop a research proposal. According to the Postgraduate Research Survey, Middlesex University ranks in the top ten nationally for student experience and research culture, join us to find out why! To register: https://lnkd.in/ePSNBghw

I am excited to share my first book chapter contribution📚 in "Victimisation in the Digital Age: An Online/Offline Continuum Approach," edited by Tine Munk and Morag C. Kennedy. I'm grateful for the invaluable guidance of Tine since my university days at Middlesex University 🎓, including advising my first ever academic publication (https://lnkd.in/eQUZ-gfu); and for the support of my academic mentors at Eötvös Loránd University: Miklós Lévay and Éva Inzelt, as well as colleagues at the Centre For Abuse & Trauma Studies | Training, particularly Prof Elena Martellozzo, PhD whose research influenced my contributions and is referenced. Chapter 2, "Navigating the Online-Offline Continuum," was co-authored with esteemed colleagues Tine Munk, Zara A. Crawford, Elliot Doornbos, Ammaarah Faisal, Naomi Graham, Ellen Harris, Craig A. Jackson, Morag C. Kennedy, and Sarah Rodrigues-Gomashie. The chapter explores the complex dynamics of victimisation bridging digital and physical realms, reflecting our collective commitment to advancing criminological understanding. 🌍 The book is available with a 20% discount in October at the publisher's website: https://lnkd.in/e27KSkRa. #Criminology #DigitalAge #OnlineOfflineContinuum #Victimology #ChildProtection #AcademicPublication

Blinding presentation at the SVRG conference at Bournemouth University by Tamara Polajnar from herEthical AI on the work she and Ruth Spence have been doing on developing and validating a taxonomy of victim blaming through large language models. The work was also recently covered in The Guardian 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXZBn6Zr

✨ Today our new publication is out and available: "Content moderator coping strategies: associations with psychological distress, secondary trauma and wellbeing" by Dr Ruth Spence, Prof Elena Martellozzo, PhD and Dr Jeffrey DeMarco (2024) in the 📚Journal of Media Psychology: Theories, Methods, and Applications. 🖥️ Content moderation is the backbone of our and our children’s safety online, yet the risk and cost are often invisible. Content moderators (CMs) apply the #policy set by platforms to protect users from harmful content. It is a stressful job, associated with reduced mental health and #wellbeing. In this study, an anonymous survey was used to demonstrate most CMs cope by seeking support from colleagues👥 and this is associated with lower psychological distress and secondary trauma and higher wellbeing whereas increased smoking and alcohol consumption is associated with increased symptomology. Our research project #InvisibleRisk funded by Safe Online and the Tech Coalition with partners such as INHOPE, reveals exactly these costs. Moderators who are exposed on a daily basis to Child Sexual Abuse Material (#CSAM) face #mentalhealth🌱 consequences, such as #PTSD, anxiety, and depression, with most of them reporting trauma-related symptoms. However, only a small percentage feel they receive adequate psychological support. Expected to reach quotas, moderators can be required to view distressing images and videos whilst having to achieve accuracy and speed targets🎯. Additionally, they can have low wages, a lack of mental health support and be required to maintain confidentiality which can cause high levels of distress. 🔔 #InvisibleRisk highlights the urgent need for change; moderators require trauma-informed care and mental health resources to protect those who protect our online communities. Please follow us for more academic news and insights! Thank you 🙏🌟 https://lnkd.in/e9HCbGjC Middlesex University Trust and Safety Jobs Trust & Safety Professional Association Trust & Safety Forum Trust and Safety Foundation INHOPE

An AI analysis by colleagues found survivors of domestic abuse were met with an attitude of disbelief, #genderbias and #victimblaming by judges in #familycourt. 🚨 The findings, as covered by The Guardian, are part of the herEthical AI project, co-founded by our member Dr Ruth Spence, alongside experts in #psychology and #machinelearning💻 — with support from a retired #police👮♀️ inspector. 'Examples found through the research include characterising a woman as a “deeply troubled mother with mental health difficulties unrelated to the father’s behaviour”; referring to an attempted strangling as a possible “prank”; or concluding that it was improbable that an “educated professional” would not speak to anyone else while “inappropriate and wrong” sexual relations were happening.' At CATS, we are committed to exposing these hidden biases and working towards an #evidencebased and just legal system ⚖️. Research is critical to drive change and ensure fair treatment for survivors of abuse, identifying and challenging harmful patterns within the system. We will continue pushing for policy change and reform, and providing insights to protect the vulnerable. Stay informed and #follow us for update 🙏 https://lnkd.in/emFGyUpc #DomesticAbuse #FamilyCourt #AI #ResearchMatters #GenderBias #VictimBlaming #Criminology #JusticeReform #CATS #domesticabuse #domesticabusesurvivors #familycourts #metoo #rasso #aisolutions #AIforgood #techforgood Tamara Polajnar Dr Hazel S. Right To Equality Riverlight Organisation

🚨 AI child sexual abuse imagery continues to rise with no end in sight 🚨    Legislators must act now to prevent AI technology from being exploited to create child sexual abuse imagery The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) issued a stark warning that the public is at #risk of exposure to harmful, criminal material, as an increasing amount of AI-generated child sexual abuse content is identified on publicly accessible areas of the internet. In the past six months alone, there has been a 6% increase📈 in confirmed reports containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, compared with the preceding 12 months.    More than half of this content was hosted on servers in the Russian Federation (36%) and the United States (22%), with Japan and the Netherlands following at 11% and 8% respectively. Many of these images and videos are so #realistic that even expert analysts find it challenging to distinguish between AI-generated content and imagery depicting the abuse of real children. It can also be just as distressing to view if a person is not prepared or trained to #cope with seeing such material. Source: https://lnkd.in/d9HbSuZ3 At the Centre For Abuse & Trauma Studies | Training (CATS), we focus on #researching the intersection of #technology and online abuse, working towards better #understanding and #preventing the creation and distribution of harmful material. Our work on safeguarding measures🔐 and the psychological toll on #contentmoderators aligns directly with this issue. Through our #research, we aim to develop strategies to better support those exposed to such material and to influence policy and law enforcement on strengthening online protections. To stay informed on our work and explore what we can do together to combat the rise of AI-generated abuse, #follow us on LinkedIn for regular updates 🙏 #ChildProtection #AI #OnlineSafety #Legislation #CriminologyResearch #Cybercrime #ContentModeration

European Society of Criminology #Eurocrim2024 Conference 🌍 Recap from the #CATS Team! We had a fantastic time at this year’s Eurocrim2024 conference in Bucharest a month ago, where we presented cutting-edge #research in cybercrime, youth justice, and online safety. Some of the key contributions from our team were: 🔍 The Online Safety Bill & Content Moderators Our #InvisibleRisks research focused on the #mentalhealth challenges faced by #contentmoderators who deal with harmful online content, including child sexual abuse material. The presentation also explored the impact of the UK’s Online Safety Bill on their well-being and the importance of providing adequate support systems. 🏛️ London Accommodation Pathfinder Project #LAP This project showcased innovative approaches to helping black and ethnic minority boys in London through alternative pathways to custody. The aim of the project was to demonstrate how #early #intervention can significantly reduce re-offending rates and improve mental health outcomes for #vulnerable young people. 🌐 Victimisation in the Metaverse As #virtualreality environments grow, so do the risks they present to children. Our #VIRRAC project, delivered in cooperation with the Institute for Connected Communities (UEL) highlighted the urgent need for stronger #safety measures in these digital spaces, focusing on how children are exposed to online harms, including sexual exploitation, within the #Metaverse. 📊 ‘I Had No Choice’: Online Sexual Engagement & Neutralisation This presentation explored the troubling ways in which individuals justify #harmful online behaviours. By using #neutralisation theory, the research shed light on the psychological mechanisms that drive online sexual exploitation, providing valuable insights for policymakers and law enforcement. Thank you 🙏 to the organisers and to all who attended the presentations and engaged with our research. We’re excited to continue cooperating with #Criminologist colleagues, and exploring important issues, - working toward safer offline and online environments for all.

What does the future hold for children’s rights? UNICEF Innocenti has recently launched its "Young Visionaries: Child Rights Youth Foresight Report" - an annual #youthled horizon-scanning report. The report offers a #global platform for youth insights into children's futures and #childrights, focusing on critical issues like technology, social media and online hate, and education. Many of the topics mentioned by children are the same that we try to understand and respond to through our #research projects in the Centre For Abuse & Trauma Studies | Training. If you are curious of how #children and young people envision the future, read about the 12 Youth Foresight Fellows who embarked on an intensive journey to seek answers directly from more than 800 children and young people in over 50 workshops held across 12 countries. The #casestudies presented in the report offer valuable considerations on the future of children’s rights over the next 10 to 25 years. The Fellow’s work to engage #diverse groups of children and young people in #participatory foresight activities is a testament to what is possible when youth are given the appropriate #support and tools to pave their own paths forward. By serving as a platform for young people to share their perspectives on the future of children’s rights, the report responds to the growing need to meaningfully engage children and youth in shaping our collective future. Learn more about it: https://lnkd.in/eVDxpNZN For more updates and professional content, please #follow us on LinkedIn by clicking the 'Follow' button. Thank you! 🙏

📢Our #VIRRAC (Virtual Reality Risks Against Children) is a #research initiative that aims to raise awareness about child safety within the #Metaverse / #VR, and as part of the project, roundtable discussions were conducted with industry professionals, including education specialists, to explore how the findings can be practically applied. 🔑 #Sneakpeak into the #key #takeaways - soon to be published - from the roundtables included: #Raising awareness: Educate children on safe online actions and raise awareness of problematic behaviors or harmful risks. #Digital literacy challenges: There remains a significant digital skills gap, especially across generations, leaving many—particularly children—more vulnerable in virtual spaces. #Harmful behaviour: Some children are engaging in or being exposed to inappropriate behaviour, such as offensive language, sexual content, and even hate speech. These issues demand immediate attention. #Psychological impact: Further research is needed to understand the long-term psychological effects of extended engagement with the Metaverse on children. #Neurodiversity considerations: While children with cognitive disorders can benefit from the immersive potential of immersive virtual reality, they are also at increased risk of exploitation. #Legislation and moderation: Enhanced regulation and moderation are critical to ensuring safer digital environments for children. Frameworks like the UK Online Safety Act (#OSA) and EU Digital Services Act (#DSA) play a key role in fostering safer, more inclusive virtual ecosystems. VIRRAC is led by Professor Julia Davidson OBE, Director of the Institute of Connected Communities (University of East London), and Professor Prof Elena Martellozzo, PhD, Associate Director at the Centre For Abuse & Trauma Studies | Training (Middlesex University), with essential contributions from Dr. Ruby Farr, Paula Bradbury, and Boglarka M.. The project is funded by the REPHRAIN National Research Centre on Privacy, Harm Reduction and Adversarial Influence Online. ⭐ The VIRRAC #Toolkit Report was recently showcased by Nina Jane Patel, President of Research & Safety at Kabuni, at the TIPS Network event in collaboration with Access Partnership, which focused on Online Safety in a Changing World: The Ethical Imperative. 📚 Learn more about the VIRRAC project here: https://lnkd.in/eRgFqDNk ⭐ For parents, educators, and professionals: #Download the VIRRAC Toolkit report here for #free: https://lnkd.in/dMkYdze9 📢 Please like/share our LinkedIn post to help raise awareness of these important findings. If you have any questions or would like to discuss the report, feel free to reach out. Follow us for updates and new insights. Thank you! 🙏