Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway opened Thursday's live show with a devastating announcement about the dangers teenagers face on social media. New research reveals that children are exposed to harmful content within minutes of creating an account.
Garraway said: 'This shocking new investigation shows that children are being shown harmful content about torture, pornography, and even suicide within minutes of creating a social media account.' Co-presenter Richard Madeley added that kids are fed videos glamorising knives, guns, extreme diets, and pornography almost instantly.
ITV correspondent Nick Dixon reported from a school in Kent, where the headteacher described the findings as 'absolutely devastating'. Schools are seeing children arrive tired after spending nights on social media, leading many to ban mobile phones during the day.
Teachers expressed shock and disturbance at the content exposed to students. Tech companies claim they take action on harmful content and invest heavily in safety tools and moderation.
Madeley argued that the case for banning under-16s from social media is growing. Garraway noted that a ban could relieve pressure on parents but warned that children might still find ways to access content, making it harder to monitor.
