The eSafety regulator said it had issued legally enforceable transparency notices to Roblox, Minecraft, Epic Games’ Fortnite and Valve’s Steam covering systems, staffing and safety aligned with cyber security protocols. Companies must respond to the notices, with non-compliance exposing them to penalties and potential civil action. eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said gaming-adjacent services, including...Read More

A repeat sex offender who is now accused of sexually assaulting a young girl in the bathroom of a store in South Lebanon has been ruled competent to stand trial.A trial date was set for Aug., 10-12.Robert Deweese, a 37-year-old man with a long history of sex offenses, is accused of assaulting the 6-year-old child...Read More

UPDATE: The Alabama Legislature passed the Child Predator Death Penalty Act on Thursday.  Gov. Kay Ivey made the announcement about the bill’s passage to Facebook.  The bill has now passed both the House and Senate. It now heads to Gov. Ivey’s desk for her to sign.  “We have to do everything we can to protect...Read More

The state of Alabama is getting $12.2 million from popular interactive gaming platform Roblox in a settlement focused on ensuring safety for children online. Under the settlement terms, which Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced today, the money will go toward funding for school resource officers across the state via the Attorney General’s Safe School...Read More

California lawmakers are charging ahead with a controversial plan to ban kids under 16 from TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms — clearing a major hurdle despite a growing chorus of critics. The bipartisan bill, AB-1709, passed out of Committee last week with overwhelming support, putting California one step closer to a sweeping crackdown...Read More

Increasing screen time and social media use significantly raise the risk of eating disorders among teens. Parents often blame junk food, sugary snacks, or poor eating habits when children develop unhealthy relationships with food. But new research suggests another powerful influence is hiding in plain sight: Social media.A study by Turkish researchers Gamze Yurtdas Depboylu,...Read More

Australia’s eSafety regulator has asked gaming companies, including Microsoft and Roblox, to explain how they are protecting children from sexual exploitation and radicalisation. Companies including Roblox, Minecraft, Epic Games’ Fortnite and Valve’s Steam have been issued with legally enforceable transparency notices by the eSafety Commissioner’s office. The notices require details on safety systems, staffing and...Read More

(TNND) — California lawmakers are moving forward with a bill that could effectively ban social media accounts for kids under 16 in the nation’s most populous state. The bill, AB-1709, is specifically designed to keep children off platforms featuring “addictive features,” such as notifications, endless scrolls and autoplay that are core parts of popular social...Read More

What is concerning to Madigan is that many young people “lack awareness of digital security and safety” by taking nude photos and sending them out. About one in eight teens in the study say they have forwarded a sext—a behavior the authors referred to as nonconsensual sexting—or have sent a text to others without the...Read More

Teen Chat and Chat Avenue are under scrutiny for allegedly failing to protect children from online grooming through open messaging and chat features. The UK’s online safety regime has entered a more confrontational phase, with Ofcom opening new investigations into Telegram and two chat platforms over suspected failures to protect children from serious harm. The...Read More