Jokes on Instagram and Tik Tok continue to affect young people, experts say - while warning over the dangers of labelling as anti-vaxxers those who are vaccine hesitant.
Summary
- Two-thirds of anti-vaccination propaganda posted online is created by just 12 so-called influencers, research has found.
- Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 2:49 Boris Johnson has previously spoken out against anti-vaxxersAfter social media companies were made aware of the prevalence of the material some was removed, but many videos and articles remain online today.
- Mr Ahmed said the algorithms used by social media platforms then fed people more and more similar content, until they see it frequently while online - thus normalising the opinions.
- “Young people obviously look on social media, they see quite a lot of jokes on Instagram and Tik Tok, things like ‘I got my vaccine and then this happened to me’,” he said.
- “The internet is a large space and there is definitely more to do and we are determined to make sure that with social media firms, we take the action necessary,” he said.