‘To Report or Not to Report: is that the Question?’ Exploring Young People's Reporting Practices of Illicit Drug Ads on Social Media

Better algorithms mean less illegal content on social media. To improve these algorithms, users need to report such content, yet they often do not. This talk will explore young people’s attitudes and practices around reporting a specific online harm: illicit drug advertisements.

A survey of UK students (13–18) examined their reporting practices and tested different messages to encourage reporting. Surprisingly, none were effective, highlighting deeper challenges in the reporting process. This calls into question whether user reporting is the best way to reduce harmful content and highlights the need for a balanced approach that combines proactive detection with user engagement.