Child Grooming And The Metaverse - Issues And Solutions

Overview

Authors: Sameer Hinduja

Publication Date: No date provided

Link: https://cyberbullying.org/child-grooming-metaverse

Keywords: Metaverse, virtual reality, online grooming, child sexual exploitation, CSAM, trust and safety, content moderation, age verification, parental controls, online safety

Type: Blogs

Summary

Arguably one of the biggest concerns of the metaverse, especially to law enforcement, parents, guardians, and caregivers of children, is the potential for pedophilia, online grooming, and child sexual exploitation. To be sure, the media is quick to focus on this hazard with any new environment (offline or online) that allows for adults and youth to commingle in some capacity, and metaverse candidates are no exception. It is important, therefore, to try to separate fiction from fact in order to assess the possible extent of these concerns and to determine how best to proactively and reactively address them.