Following a spate of lawsuits and investigations over its child safety systems, Roblox is going to implement mandatory facial verification for all users who want to access communication features, starting in January. The platform is also introducing age-based chat, meaning users can only communicate with others in a similar age group. Starting Tuesday, users can voluntarily verify their age to secure their access to communication features.
Every two and a half minutes, a child is reported missing in the UK. The reasons are complex, but the risks can be grave. Myths about what to do when a child goes missing persist and can delay crucial action at the moment it's most needed. The Independent and the charity Missing People are aiming to raise 165,000 to launch SafeCall, a free new service to help the 70,000 children reported missing each year find support and safety, no matter what.
Forcing children to accept unwanted affection can send a harmful message, according to Karen Days, the former president of the Center for Family Safety and Healing at Nationwide Children's Hospital. Days explained that this kind of forced affection can teach children the wrong lesson: that people they know are always allowed to touch them. She pointed out that while parents often emphasize "stranger danger," they don't always stress that familiar adults must also respect personal boundaries.
"I feel very suspicious of the area now," echoed Ramirez, 40, who has a 14-year-old daughter. "We know that many kids tell their moms, 'Mama, we want to go to the park now,' and then the kids go alone. What will happen if there's a predator? The kids don't know how to defend themselves. We thought it was safe, but I don't feel secure anymore."
Here's how it works: First, plug the Sleek Socket cover into the top plug on your outlet. A thin white wire leads from the socket cover to a power strip, which is where all of your plugs will go before being tucked away behind a small appliance, large piece of furniture, or another item. Every Sleek Socket includes an adhesive kit to securely fasten the white wire to the wall and create a neat, streamlined look (and reviewers say it's renter-friendly).
5. A potty ladder for helping kids independently use the potty at home. Now they can climb up the porcelain throne like the mature kids they are and you can save your poor back muscles from hoisting them up there.
Something that often takes me by surprise is how people react to finding out I was homeless growing up. They have a picture of what homelessness should look like, and my family and I don't fit into it. But people like me hide in plain sight. They're your neighbours until suddenly they're not. They're everywhere and nowhere, all at the same time.
Meta is facing a court fight over documents and testimony in a landmark child safety case in New Mexico. In two recent motions, the New Mexico Attorney General's office alleged that Meta has refused to fully produce internal records about its AI chatbots, which reportedly engaged children and teenagers in sexualized conversations. The state also said Meta declined to consent to a subpoena for former company researcher Jason Sattizahn, who claimed that the company's legal team interfered with internal research on youth safety.