Current Discourses on Online Child Safety: Exacerbating Stranger Danger or Redefining Genuine Responsibility?

Current Discourses on Online Child Safety: Exacerbating Stranger Danger or Redefining Genuine Responsibility?

With younger users becoming one of the fastest growing demographics in platforms that brand themselves “Metaverses,” such as Roblox or VRChat, many companies are asking themselves how to ensure a safe environment for minors. But are platforms positive that their definitions of safety and harm accurately represent what users think? Whom do these definitions really serve, especially when we take into consideration younger users’ rights to expression, play, or privacy? Can platforms instead place trust in minors to take charge in certain safety decisions that affect them?

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