This piece is part of a collection of works commissioned by WeProtect Global Alliance to amplify youth voices at their 2024 global summit.

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The world as we know it is changing. We are currently in the age of Artificial intelligence (AI), which has brought with it its level of innovation and growth in almost all sectors of the economy. But in my opinion, no sector has felt AI's touch more intimately than the creative/entertainment industry. 

The rise in AI technology and the Metaverse has motivated top companies and ambitious individuals to create and integrate it into their various endeavours, like gaming, for instance. 

I remember when I was younger, and I had just gotten my first ‘smart’ device. It was a big deal for me because it meant I could download whatever games I wanted and play them for as long as I wanted. So naturally I went looking for games on some gaming websites, which led me into some forums that I had no business being on at that age. 

I was lucky, for the most part, because I didn't come across a lot of creepy adults. But every once in a while, there would be an individual who would steer the conversation into something sexual or send me an inappropriate picture.

In hindsight, it was creepy, weird, and illegal, but I didn't think too much about it at the moment, as it was happening. As more and more games are being developed and put out to the general public, there is a lot of competition, so companies are working to create games geared towards a more immersive gameplay experience for their target audience. They are incorporating not just online multiplayer features but also built-in chatting features and voice call features. Predators rely on anonymity and the naivety of children to prey on them. They find them in these games and use these features that are meant to be positive, for nefarious purposes.  They pretend to be the child’s friend to get them to lower their guard and give them valuable information that they wouldn't have disclosed otherwise.

The parents or guardians, like mine, usually believe these games are safe and harmless and think their child is talking to someone their age. They don't consider that it might be a predator because these apps are mostly marketed as child-friendly and safe.

While parents have their duties to ensure the safety and protection of their children, I believe that companies and the government have due diligence in helping to tackle these threats before they emerge.

Here are some ways that governments and tech/gaming companies could work hand in hand to mitigate these threats and make the platforms I, and a lot of other young people, use safer:

1. Laying Down Stronger Laws and Support: It's important that governments create and enforce stricter laws against online grooming. This could be done by updating existing regulations to cover online spaces and gaming platforms. By increasing penalties for online exploitation, governments can help discourage potential offenders and ensure that predators are held accountable.

2.  Enabling A Stronger User Authentication and Verification: Governments can encourage online platforms, especially gaming and social media sites, to have better age verification processes. Companies can make use of a verified ID or use biometric authentication to make sure that people are exactly who they claim to be. This would make it tougher for anyone with bad intentions to create fake profiles. 

3. Enhancing Monitoring and AI Detection: Companies should take advantage of artificial intelligence (AI) by training machine learning models to recognise online grooming behaviours—such as inappropriate messages and coercive language, and detecting suspicious speech patterns—to alert moderators in real-time, to ensure a safer environment for everyone. 

   Governments, on the other hand, can help fund research and development efforts aimed at detecting and mitigating online exploitation. They could also mandate or ensure that companies integrate these models into their games. 

4.  Launching Educational Campaigns for Everyone/ Including Advanced Parental Control and Reporting Tools: Governments can help launch comprehensive campaigns/initiatives to teach and support parents, children, and communities on how to recognise the signs of grooming and include information on reporting such suspicious behaviour.

   Companies/ platforms could offer advanced parental controls, allowing parents/guardians to easily monitor and manage who their kids interact with online. These controls could include the option to restrict messaging or in-game invitations, and simple tools to have both kids/parents report suspicious accounts.

5. Collaborating with Law Enforcement: Tech companies/ governments can work hand in hand with law enforcement to tackle the issue of online predators. They can do this by sharing important data and information gathered from moderation or user reports to help authorities in their efforts to track and catch these bad actors.

6. Global Cooperation for Safety: Since online gaming connects people worldwide, international collaboration is key. Governments can join forces across borders to monitor predators, share important data, and coordinate efforts to catch those who operate across different areas. This united front can make a significant difference in online safety!

Each generation has been met with its fair share of technological advancements and growth and each new advancement has brought about its own set of threats. In this generation, I dare say that while the technological advancement we are facing has opened the door to a lot of opportunities and innovation, it has also come with its own level of threat that could be more than we've ever witnessed in the past. By adopting a multifaceted approach, it is up to governments and companies to help create safer online environments for children in gaming communities.