New ‘Algorithm of Disrespect’ tool will expose harmful misogyny pushed toward teens on social media
A new tool designed for parents whose kids are using social media will be a “very eye opening experience” experts say. Find out how it works.
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Parents will be able to see social media through the eyes of their teenage children using a new tool exposing how young people can be surrounded by misogynistic content that promotes harmful attitudes toward women.
The federal government has also committed $925 million over the next five years to make a leaving violence program offering women $5000 to help them rebuild after fleeing for their lives permanent as part of a raft of new measures to tackle domestic and family violence.
Anthony Albanese announced the investment and confirmed states and territories had agreed to strengthen consequences for perpetrators and improve justice responses — such as reviewing bail laws — following an emergency national cabinet meeting on Wednesday.
The Prime Minister met with leaders amid community outrage of the fact one woman has been allegedly killed by a current or former partner every four days in Australia so far this year.
It can be exclusively revealed the new resource called “Algorithm of Disrespect” will be rolled out alongside the next phase of the “Stop it at the Start” campaign launching in June to raise awareness of how disrespect toward women and girls leads to gender based violence.
Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth said she believed it would be a “very eye opening experience” for parents, carers and teachers to see how different the social media feed of a teenager is compared to their own accounts.
“This is trying to simulate what a young person is seeing and highlight the hidden trends of disrespectful content and content that promotes violence against women,” she said.
“We’re living in two different worlds.
“So this is a tool to help adults to really understand what a young person’s experience is online.”
Ms Rishworth said research had found about 25 per cent of young males are looking up to online influencers pushing “really disrespectful messages condoning violence against women”.
Asked about legal services in regional Australia crying out for more funding to cope with the caseload of family and domestic violence cases, Ms Rishworth said an ongoing review of funding arrangements was a priority for the government.
Meanwhile, the ongoing funding for a revamped leaving violence program is expected to assist up to 36,000 women escaping a dangerous situation every year.
Ms Rishworth said the $5000 in support would be indexed annually, with wait times for the payment slashed to ensure it is more useful to women escaping violence.
This masthead previously revealed advocates were concerned women would be left in the lurch by government as a two-year pilot of the scheme operated by UnitingCare Australia was due to expire at the end of this year.
UnitingCare Australia Vic Tas chief executive Bronwyn Pike welcomed the renewed funding commitment on Wednesday, saying it would deliver “lifesaving outcomes” for vulnerable women.
“We know financial insecurity is one of the main barriers that prevent people, predominantly women and children, from leaving a violent partner and in some cases why some return to an abusive partner,” she said.
So far more than 60,000 individuals accessed the help during the pilot, with Ms Pike revealing the program is currently receiving about 138 requests for help every day.
Bail law reform was discussed among leaders, and Mr Albanese said this would be followed up with a meeting of police ministers Friday this week and of attorneys general later in May.
Asked if he thought Australians would be satisfied with the outcomes of the national cabinet meeting, Mr Albanese said he was glad it was a “step forward,” but acknowledged there was more to be done.
“I’ll be satisfied when we eliminate this as an issue,” he said.
Mr Albanese said the awareness campaign launching mid-June and running for a year would give parents the support and resources to have conversations with the children about the attitudes that can foreshadow disrespect and violence toward women.
“We know that to end violence against women we do need generational change and we need positive role models for young boys to ensure that those negative stereotypes are counted and that influences that promote damaging attitudes towards women are also counted,” he said.
A statement from all state and territory leaders said they agreed that “system responses need to be strengthened, with a focus on high-risk perpetrators and serial offenders to prevent homicides”.
On Friday the nation’s police ministers will meet and later this month attorneys general are gathering to continue discussions about legal reforms to better protect victim-survivors and ensure consequences for perpetrators.
Following national cabinet Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan flagged changes to the justice system could be one of Victoria’s solutions to combat the family violence crisis.
“We are working through those opportunities right now,” she said.
Asked what solutions were identified from the meeting, Ms Allan said state leaders recognised an urgent need for preventive actions, to accompany long term “systematic cultural change”.
“We had a very strong discussion about the actions we need to take now to address this ongoing pattern of violence,” she said.
“What today’s conversation was about though was making sure states are not just sharing that information but learning from best practice.”
Acting NSW Premier Pru Carr on Wednesday indicated NSW was open to following South Australia and Victoria in holding a royal commission into domestic and family violence in the state.
“The premier has made it very clear that we will be looking at every option,” she said.
“We just cannot have another Molly Ticehurst in this state,” she said.
“I think every woman in NSW, me included, is so sick of hearing of and bracing yourself for what the news might have to say that day about a woman who may have died at the hands of someone who has purported to love her.”
Queensland Premier Steven Miles said states and territories had developed domestic violence reform at “different pace” and a rapid review of best practice responses would help identify where the Sunshine State could make improvements.
Mr Miles also heralded the federal government’s move to pursue a ban on deep fake pornography and a trial of age assurance technology to prevent young people accessing pornography and material promoting violence against women.
Deepfake pornography ban and child age verification trial announced
Australia will move to ban deepfake pornography and launch a $6.5 million trial of age assurance technology to stop children accessing restricted sites in a bid to tackle harmful online content normalising gendered violence.
Sharing sexually explicit material created using technology like artificial intelligence will be subject to “serious” criminal penalties, under changes the federal government plans to introduce to parliament in the next month.
Announcing the proposals after a virtual national cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Anthony Albanese said he did not “underestimate” how difficult it would be for Australia to attempt to police the internet to stop the spread of deep fake pornography.
“We will be seeking co-operation wherever we can, but we need to take action and the online players need to understand exactly what the consequences are of a free for all online,” the Prime Minister said.
Earlier this year social media giant X temporarily blocked searches of Taylor Swift after deepfake porn images of the pop star flooded the platform.
Advocacy groups have also warned about a rise in deepfakes depicting every day people being used in other crimes such as revenge porn.
Last month the UK announced creating sexually explicit fake images would be made a criminal offence.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said Australia’s move was in co-ordination with the crackdown in the UK, though argued addressing the rise of these harmful images was the job of not just governments, but also civil society and the tech platforms.
Ms Rowland said the $6.5m in the May budget to pilot age assurance technologies would support the eSafety Commissioner’s ongoing work to reduce children’s exposure to inappropriate content.
“The pilot will identify available age assurance products and assess their efficacy, including in relation to privacy and security,” she said.
Ms Rowland said a review of Australia’s classification system was also being brought forward amid growing concern about the role of violent pornography in normalising gendered violence.
“Reducing this exposure to harmful and degrading pornography will better protect the women and children of Australia,” she said.
Coalition Communications spokesman David Coleman said he welcomed the announcement of a trial of age assurance technologies.
“It will be important that this trial is put together quickly and that we move forward on age verification to protect kids,” he said.
Mr Coleman said parents needed support to ensure their children are not accessing inappropriate content online.
“No matter how diligent a parent you are … once your child is in an environment like social media, or even worse, pornography, you can’t control what happens,” he said.
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Originally published as New ‘Algorithm of Disrespect’ tool will expose harmful misogyny pushed toward teens on social media
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