Toronto, Canada - August 22, 2024:    Popular social media apps on an Apple iPhone: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit.
The Bondi beach terrorist attack, which claimed 15 innocent lives, was Australia’s first mass shooting to play out on vertical video and social media.

Within mere hours of the initial gunfire, videos of the attack began circulating on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. In the days following the incident, this flood of footage showed no signs of slowing down.

Significant news networks, such as 9News, incorporated edited versions of the attack footage into their broadcasts. These segments, often accompanied by content warnings, were part of their comprehensive coverage across various platforms.

Toronto, Canada - August 22, 2024:    Popular social media apps on an Apple iPhone: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, X (formerly Twitter), and Reddit.
Australia just witnessed its first mass shooting play out on social media.(TikTok/Instagram/Facebook)

YouTube has taken proactive measures to manage the influx of related videos. The platform is prioritizing verified news content, ensuring it is prominently featured on its homepage, as well as in search results and recommendations. A spokesperson from YouTube emphasized the importance of this approach to keep users well-informed.

Despite the urgency to share news, all uploaded content must adhere to YouTube’s Community Guidelines. These rules explicitly ban violent and graphic material, such as footage from the Bondi shooting, especially when it lacks adequate context for viewers’ understanding.

All content on YouTube must still follow its Community Guidelines.

These guidelines prohibit violent and graphic content, including from the Bondi shooting, particularly if it does not provide sufficient context for viewers.

Some graphic content may be age restricted and come with a warning to viewers.

These videos will not auto-play and users must click “continue” in order to watch them, including in the Shorts feed.

Users can also limit what they see by blocking accounts and marking themselves as ’not interested’ in specific videos.

Learn how to do so here.

A Reddit spokesperson confirmed to 9news.com.ay that the platform’s dedicated safety teams are removing content that violates its policies, including graphic footage of the shooting.

“Our sitewide policies explicitly prohibit content that promotes hate based on identity or vulnerability, as well as content that encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual or group of people,” they said.

“This includes antisemitism.”

The spokesperson said steps are being taken to prevent graphic footage of the attack from spreading further on Reddit.

Users are able to mute subreddits that may contain images or videos from the shooting and block accounts posting content they wish to avoid.

If you have been impacted by the terror attack in Bondi there is support available.

To contact Lifeline Australia, call 13 11 14 or text 0477 13 11 14. For people under 25 years old, you can contact Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800. Both of these are available on a 24/7 basis. If you wish to donate blood, you can find your nearest donor centre here.
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