There are many out there that feel like the metaverse is the next big step in terms of technological advancement and that it has the potential to replace social media as the primary form of communication among the younger generation. Indeed, children have already been using the metaverse through games like Roblox and the like, but the immersive nature of metaverses might make them distinctly dangerous for children that are using them because children can be exposed to risky and harmful situations.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that a children’s charity based in the UK by the name of the NSPCC has reported that children can enter virtual strip clubs and other adult oriented areas in the metaverse without any obstacles. The virtual avatars that people use while they are in the metaverse can be used to do all sorts of things, and there is nothing stopping people from using them to perform sex acts.
The danger comes from the fact that children as young as thirteen years of age are being allowed to use these apps and take part in the risky things that they entail. Researchers at this charity entered the metaverse and posed as a thirteen year old girl, and it was not long before they started receiving sexual advances and even rape threats from adult men. This became even more prominent when they entered virtual spaces that were essentially operating as strip clubs with various people in these locales performing sex acts while they were in there.
While the Metaverse can be an interesting way for technology to progress, the manner in which it has been designed makes it inordinately easy for adults to sexually groom children. This is a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later otherwise there will be no real way for anyone to ensure the safety of children online. Some are suggesting that the minimum age to use these apps should be increased, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will actually happen.
H/T: BBC.
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