New videos teach children how to be safe in the Metaverse

The five videos are:

• Understanding the Metaverse Through Young Eyes (see above)
• A Physical and Digital Balance
• Respect and Responsibility in the Metaverse
• Recognizing Uncomfortable Situations and Seeking Help
• Positive Coping Strategies for Negative Experiences

Middlesex University Associate Professor in Criminology and CATS researcher Dr Elena Martellozzo added, “Educating people about safely navigating the Metaverse is vital. By utilising our knowledge of prevention methods and forming strong partnerships with online platforms, we can effectively reduce online harms to children.”

CATS researcher and Criminology Lecturer Paula Bradbury said: “Our research has shown that children want boundaries, safety restrictions, and behaviour modelling guidance in the Metaverse. They recognise, and frequently experience, hate speech and harassment yet struggle with the very basic of safeguarding features, reporting.”

Boglarka Meggyesfalvi, CATS researcher, said: “As adults, parents and practitioners we need to proactively enable children to become safer in the Metaverse. We can only do this by increasing our knowledge of the risks and of the platforms children are using to engage with …