Roblox has announced it will block under-13s from messaging others on the online gaming platform as part of new efforts to safeguard children.
Child users will not be able to send direct messages within games by default unless a verified parent or guardian gives them permission.
Parents will also be able to view and manage their child's account, including seeing their list of online friends, and setting daily limits on their play time.
The messaging app Snapchat is the most widely-used platform for online grooming, according to police figures supplied to the children's charity the NSPCC.
More than 7,000 Sexual Communication with a Child offences were recorded across the UK in the year to March 2024 - the highest number since the offence was created.
Snapchat made up nearly half of the 1,824 cases where the specific platform used for the grooming was recorded by the police.
Cyber Secure is a free tool that allows schools to review and improve their cyber and information security policy and practice and self-assess their current provision. The tool is structured according to categories indicating the safety and security ‘levels’ establishments can achieve, with level 0 being the lowest and most basic, and level 5 the highest and most aspirational.
Meta is introducing Instagram Teen Accounts, a new experience for teens, guided by parents. Teen Accounts have built-in protections which limit who can contact them and the content they see, and also provide new ways for teens to explore their interests. Meta will automatically place teens into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to change any of these settings to be less strict.
Statutory guidance for schools and colleges
2 September 2024
When Andrew Kaung, an analyst on user safety at TikTok, looked at the TikTok content, he was alarmed to find how some teenage boys were being shown posts featuring violence and pornography, and promoting misogynistic views, he tells BBC Panorama. He says, in general, teenage girls were recommended very different content based on their interests.
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