Twitter recently pulled two flashing videos from Vine after an epilepsy group, Epilepsy Action, complained that they are very dangerous and could possibly trigger seizures.
EPILEPSY ADVOCACY GROUP TWEETED TWITTER TO TAKE DOWN THE VINE
Epilepsy Action, a United Kingdom based epilepsy advocacy group said that flashing bright lights and patterns are commonly reported triggers for seizures. The Vine video ads on Twitter’s website were designed to promote new artists and were six second loops of bright flashing colors.
Epilepsy Action tweeted Friday that the #DiscoverMusic Vines are dangerous to people with photosensitive epilepsy. They asked for Twitter to take them offline. Less than 24 hours later, Twitter responded by taking them down.
65 MILLION PEOPLE around the world have epilepsy
According to the deputy chief of Epilepsy Action, 87 people are diagnosed with epilepsy everyday and that the first seizure can oftentimes come out of the blue. They also said that for Twitter, with its enormous size and millions of users, to take the risk was irresponsible. Over 65 million people around the world have epilepsy. In 1997, an episode of Pokémon was reported to be linked to hundred of seizures. In 2012 a rippling logo involving an Olympics TV spot was also reportedly the cause of seizures.
According to research, these incidents point to a long history or video-oriented industries learning to keep content safe for all. This often happens by providing warnings on packaging or promotions for flashing content. First the attention was on television, then on computers and video games, and after on cell phones and mobile devices. Apps, animations and videos flood through mobile devices including the safely broadcasted content.
ACCORDING TO STATISTICS, 3% OF EPILEPTICS ARE VISUALLY SENSITIVE
According to the Epilepsy Society, people with photosensitive epilepsy have their seizures triggered by contrasting lights and dark patterns.
“Marketing communications shouldn’t include visual techniques and effects that are adversely affect members with photosensitive epilepsy,” according to the Advertising Standards Authority. According to statistics three percent of people with epilepsy are susceptible to seizures if they see certain visual patters including flashing lights.
If a user is concerned about how to block videos on Twitter from automatically playing.
