Several Israeli and Jewish schools are advising parents to delete Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter) from their kids' phones in response to mounting worries over the Israel-Hamas war's impact on children. According to reports, the effort aims to protect young users from gory and violent imagery and videos of the ongoing battle.
NBC reported that the parents' organization of a Tel Aviv school expressed concern about the likely publication of unsettling footage depicting hostages being "begged for their lives" by Hamas gunmen. The difficulty—if not impossibility—of limiting such information on social media platforms was underlined in their message.
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that Jewish schools in the United States have also issued similar cautions. Even though it's unknown where the information about potential hostage footage came from, it has led some schools to take action.
The Frisch School's principal in Paramus, New Jersey, wrote parents an urgent email urging them to remove Instagram and TikTok from their kids' smartphones.
Hamas to Spread Disturbing Content Online
On social networking sites like X and Meta's Threads real-time messaging service, many people have also posted school announcements that warn of the likelihood that pupils might come across unpleasant information using these programs.
One such alert, posted by Aviva Klompas, co-founder of the charity Boundless Israel, highlighted the impending release of Israel-Hamas war videos showing hostages pleading for their lives and advised parents to take the TikTok and Instagram applications out of their kids' smartphones.
Journalist Joanna Stern published tweets referencing "graphic and misleading information" on social networks, as well as tweets from her Jewish high school and a nearby Jewish Community Center. The messages also emphasized Hamas' ambitions to flood social platforms with prisoner recordings, emphasizing the necessity for parents to talk to their kids about these applications' risks.
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Jewish chat rooms were inundated with chain messages alerting people about Hamas' impending distribution of upsetting information and pleading with parents to shield their kids from it.
One message reads, as quoted by Bloomberg: "IN A FEW HOURS, HAMAS TERRORISTS WILL BE POSTING PHOTOS AND VIDEOS OF HOSTAGES AND TORTUE ON ALL SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS. ABSOLUTELY PREVENT YOUR CHILDREN FROM WATCHING THEM; THEY ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN AND WILL BE TERRIFYING."
TechTimes recently reported that social media firms, including Elon Musk's X, have stepped up their efforts to battle false information and remove anything related to Hamas as the Israel-Hamas war progresses. X CEO Linda Yaccarino confirmed the deletion of hundreds of Hamas-affiliated accounts and the correct labeling or removal of thousands of pieces of content related to the terrorist group's assaults on Israel.
The Israel-Hamas war has also affected Israel's technology sector, a vital economic sector. Due to a large number of employees being called up for military duty, IT companies have been forced to reschedule conferences, which could disrupt fundraising and dealmaking.
Conflict Impacts Israel's Tech Sector
Tech companies have also aggressively supported the war effort, temporarily putting aside whatever differences they may have with the government on suggested judicial reforms. They have contributed their knowledge in areas like cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) by helping to secure vital supplies for soldiers and by assisting in the search for the missing.
Hillel Fuld, a journalist and startup consultant, stressed the importance of technology sector cooperation.
"The country is more united than it's been in a very long time," he said, as quoted by CNN.
However, many think that the tech sector's tenacity will triumph because of backing from overseas investors and aid from global tech behemoths like Microsoft and Google during this trying period. Despite challenges, the Israeli IT industry continues to serve clients and innovate.
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