The film also has the encouraging message that – from lawyers in New York to dedicated police units in the Philippines – smart, idealistic people are fighting for vulnerable children.
Blake, an influencer and entrepreneur, begins by interviewing a young man in Northern Ireland who was blackmailed after being manipulated into sending intimate images of himself. But the presenter has only just started addressing the pressures exerted on young people to share explicit pictures when he shifts to the very different question of social media algorithms and how they have been weaponised to feed young men toxic and misogynistic content.
Channel 4 documentaries have lost the plot again
Read MoreAs a result, Hunting the Online Sex Predators feels rushed – and isn’t helped by a desperate attempt to appeal to a youth audience. The soundtrack bombards the viewer with Troye Sivan and Fontaines DC while Blake explains that he is trying to contact Meta whistleblower Arturo Bejar by declaring, “I’m messaging this Arturo guy”. A 31-year-old really should know better than attempting to sound like a 14-year-old YouTuber who has just discovered Fortnite.
“Tech giants are brazenly rowing back on responsibility,” says Blake, his message underlined by footage of Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg announcing that the company is drastically reducing its policing of inappropriate content. In Donald Trump’s brave new world, cyberspace is more of a Wild West than ever.
Stephen Graham is jacked-up and simmering with menace in A Thousand Blows
Read MoreThe tech giants facilitate the distribution of dangerous content “because it keeps your attention”, explains Dr Kaitlyn Regehr from University College London, an expert on the impact of social media on young people. “Extreme content is just more interesting,” she says. “Misinformation is more interesting than truth.”
Then, it’s off to the Philippines, where we learn that one in 100 children were trafficked to produce sexual exploitation material in 2022. He accompanies officers from a child protection bureau on a raid of criminals suspected of organising live internet feeds of sex abuse. The stakes are high, and Blake looks terrified as he waits in a car, coming across almost relieved when it is revealed that the guilty party has fled.
‘Hunting the Online Sex Predators’ is streaming on BBC iPlayer
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Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Hunting the Online Sex Predators does not need the cringey banter )
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