Social Media may be great for people to communicate, but may encourage online abuse. It is a complex issue including many different types of issues such as platform policies, user behavior, and social standards. Platforms must establish strong safety measures, educate users, and work with authorities to combat exploitation. But people are also responsible for their activities online as well.

I have not personally experienced any online exploitation. But I have heard from a friend who has been doxxed online through Discord.  Doxxing is the act of publicly providing personally identifiable information, including name and address. about an individual, usually via the Internet and without their consent.  Their “supposed” friend that they met on the platform sent them a link to a game that they loved. Thinking nothing of it, he clicked on the link and it sent him to a website but the website was not the game. Later on, the “friend” got information on my friend and used it against him. From there on out my friend has been so careful online and with who he becomes friends with.

Some solutions that I have for social media apps could be content moderation. What I mean by this is to have AI or have employees proactively detect and remove any exploitative content/ links. They could also have strict policies and enforcement, by banning accounts that go against their policies that share inappropriate content. And the companies could also offer awareness programs for the user and or both the minor and their parents, about online safety, privacy settings, and how to recognize and respond to any suspicious messages.