The new age of social media, including Snapchat, Discord, TikTok, Instagram and many more, serves as entertainment for the masses and as a means of communication between people. Usually, we associate teenagers and adults alike as the main users of these social media platforms, people who know how to deal with real-world problems and recognize when something isn’t safe. However, what happens when children enter these spaces unsupervised? Even in spaces where children are expected to be safe, how can we be so sure?
Since the creation of all of these social media apps, children online have fallen victim to scams, inappropriate relations and traps. It’s always after these incidents, though, when the child is forever changed from what happened when they joined these adult spaces way too young, that the question of safety arises. When lawsuits are created to make change happen, regulations and barriers are often instituted to protect the users.
Currently, two notable social media platforms have been under fire from a recent situation of limiting predator catching. Schlep, a YouTuber alias who built his career off catching predators on Roblox and getting them arrested, was recently banned from the game. Roblox claimed that they had banned Schlep for user protection, saying that he was endangering people online by luring predators offline to get them dealt with by the law.
Since the news of Roblox’s decision, a lawsuit as well as cease and desist orders have been issued back and forth, with many more lawsuits from those who have been victimized and or those who want to change Roblox’s system.
Discord has also faced numerous lawsuits recently, regarding child safety. It has been said countless times that Discord is almost a haven for predators due to the lack of protection for children on the platform. Many of the same families and law firms representing the victims for the Roblox lawsuits have also named Discord as a place where predators can meet underage kids and take advantage of them without anything in place to protect the minors.
However, since these lawsuits have come out, more safety measures have been put into place at least in Roblox- although the system is still pretty weak at the moment. Discord has also made some improvements that seem strong in theory and will hopefully live up to the expectations. However, these apps have a long way to go because, unfortunately, minors always find themselves in situations and spaces where they are vulnerable.
It’s important for minors to stay safe online, and that doesn’t always just mean shutting the phone off when things get bad. Staying safe online means not befriending those over the internet, not sharing any identifying information, not meeting in person, not sharing one’s face and knowing who someone is talking to. Humans never think that something will happen to them and that they are different; however, with the lack of protection that minors face, that is only a dream.
Social media is how people stay connected, whether through a like, comment, a mention or just a message through a chat feature. No matter what platform someone might use, there will always be someone with bad intentions lurking, someone who will jump at the opportunity to take advantage of someone vulnerable. The only thing that prevents this horror is the safety standards in place, but what happens when they are bypassed? What happens when they are weak? Minors and those who are vulnerable get hurt, whilst the perpetrator gets off scot-free. Change will only happen through lawsuits and uproar; however, it always comes too late, it always comes when things can’t be reversed.
