Disappearing WhatsApp messages raises fears for children over abuse, bullying and porn

Not enough research has been done on the impact disappearing WhatsApp messages will have on children an expert said on Wednesday, raising fears over abuse, bullying, self-harm and porn.

Baroness Kidron, a cross bench peer and advocate of children’s rights online, said the move is “poorly thought out”.

She added: “They haven’t given us any indication of research or risk impact or how they intend to protect children…Where is the research that says this will not impact on your children?

From Monday WhatsApp users are to be given the option to have their messages disappear after 24 hours.

The company, which is owned by Facebook, says its mission is to connect the world more privately.

A WhatsApp blogpost said: “Deciding how long a message lasts should be in your hands.”

But Baroness Kidron, speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today Programme said: “What does this mean for predators? What does this mean for the spread of child sexual abuse, bullies, self-harm or porn?”

She called for a risk assessment to be done, and ultimately for regulatory oversight to be brought in. She said: “I think we are going to see some of that coming in with the online safety bill, but in the meantime there’s nothing stopping Meta [WhatsApp’s parent]putting into place greater checks and balances and transparency ahead of  the law. This is just poorly thought out.”

The WhatsApp blogpost announcing the move said: “There is a certain magic in just sitting down with someone in-person, sharing your thoughts in confidence, knowing you are both connecting in private and in that moment.”

But Baroness Kidron said: “It is so different having an in-person conversation in your kitchen and actually having an in-person conversation with anybody anywhere in the world. It’s not the same as privacy. Meta are simply not being honest.”

The NSPCC said the move would create a “toxic cocktail of risk once combined with Meta’s plans for encrypting messaging on all its services including Facebook and Instagram.

It comes after the Countess of Wessex warned the world is failing to protect children from “truly horrific abuse" online.

Speaking in her role as patron of the NSPCC at the European Parliament Intergroup on Children’s Rights in Brussels, she said that while the internet offered ‘positive opportunities’ to engage online, it also ‘enables predators to commit truly horrific abuse within what should be the sanctity and safety of a child’s own home’.

The Countess said the "distressing reality" of coronavirus lockdown left children exposed to "new and very dangerous threats" and urged technology companies to put children at the forefront of their innovation, instead of leaving safety as an "afterthought".