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Habbo Hotel
Jillstar
Posts: 1,273 Forum Member
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http://www.channel4.com/news/striptease-and-cyber-sex-my-stay-at-habbo-hotel
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18433471
http://www.channel4.com/news/high-street-shops-stop-selling-habbo-hotel-gift-cards
I remember using Habbo Hotel a bit when I was younger and was quite shocked that things have got that bad with regards to sexual content/abuse on that site.
I wonder what will happen to it now? Will it be shut down?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18433471
http://www.channel4.com/news/high-street-shops-stop-selling-habbo-hotel-gift-cards
Channel 4 News' exclusive investigation discovered that Habbo, which attracts more than 10 million users a month, was allowing users to post pornographic and violent messages - despite the fact that Habbo is targeted at young teenagers.
Late on Wednesday the company's main investor, the private equity group 3i, which held a multi-million pound 16 per cent shareholding, said it was pulling out of Habbo's Finnish parent company, Sulake. In a statement, 3i said:
"3i has actively supported the Sulake board in determining the right course of action in these very challenging circumstances. Following a board meeting today, we have resigned our board position and will cease to be a shareholder in the company."
I remember using Habbo Hotel a bit when I was younger and was quite shocked that things have got that bad with regards to sexual content/abuse on that site.
I wonder what will happen to it now? Will it be shut down?
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No they'll release a press statement thanking Channel 4 for bringing it to their attention and remind everyone of what they currently do to combat this. Then in about 3 weeks they'll release a new feature of sorts that will make it a bit harder.
Facebook is a cash cow so no one will go near it but Habbo Hotel with a smaller user base and less revenue is fair game. Hypocrisy once again.
I think that's only partly true, as many (most ?) parents are well aware of Facebook and how it works and what you can do to protect your children, but will have f*** all idea what this Habbo Hotel is all about, how it works, how to keep your children safe etc.
It is terrible that kids these days have to put up with all this shit from old (and young) pervs.
And once again it comes down to parents not doing enough to protect their children. That is the real issue here.
I think it's probably that Facebook isn't aimed at young children.
It's not just about parents not doing enough to protect their children, but the fact that there are far more and far easier ways for their children to be got at. It's like being in a boat with thousands of holes and only having enough fingers to stick into ten of them to stop it leaking...
Most parents do all they can, but it is too easy or people to keep preying on the kids too.
yet.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18321553
Just because it isn't aimed at young children it doesn't mean that they are not being groomed on the site. You only have to open a paper to read stories about young girls running off with older men they meet on Facebook.
All that tells me is that teachers and parents need to be educating kids into the dangers of online predators and on how to recognise them and conduct themselves safely.
Which kind of backs up my earlier point.
Most people know about facebook and, in the main, how to keep your kids safe.
If you point them in the direction of somewhere that is supposed to be a child-friendly alternative with safeguards built in, then it does warrant reporting when pervs are all over it preying on kids.
The only thing that could be considered 'properly protecting your children' in that case is not letting them on the internet, and that's unrealistic in the modern world
And they do. And that is part of the solution. But closing off the predators is just as valid a part of the solution.
Or my previous point about education.
Watch the scandals then. Any chat room with children and no moderation is going to attract the pervs. Of course parents should be doing the moderating, but that isn't going to cut it with the press.
How do you propose we do that?
These predators are already hard to catch because they use all kinds of anonymising software to hid themselves. We can't shut down websites because some people use them to groom children. Screening won't work either because a huge number will have no record.
I would guess most users of FB are children. Certainly sounds like it.
I suppose it's a valid point, that sites aimed at kids should be scrutinized more than others.
Education of the people who are supposed to work out these things, I guess. Just because you can't think of any solution other than blaming the parents, doesn't mean they don't exist.
I'm not sure how this Habbo Hotel works, but how about having to sign up using a parent's credit card for authentication purposes, though no payment can be taken against it. Again, it may not close off all the predators, but it could close off a significant number of them. How about you have to have something physically mailed to you to validate membership ? It's an inconvenience, and I'm sure the idea that you might have to wait a couple of weeks between thinking about playing something and actually playing it may be alien to some, but I'd be happier for my kids to join a site that had tighter security like this, than for everyone to say it's not their problem and that the internet should be some free-for-all and its always the intended victims that should be looking out and no-one else.
However well educated people are against getting scammed, tricked or whatever, some are still going to fall prey to it. The same goes for kids on the internet, and the baddies are not the parents, the teachers or the kids, but the predators.
The best way to fight these predators is better education of our children. Make them aware of the danger and how to avoid it, and you minimise that danger.
Due to (r)aids?
http://www.habbo.com/groups/safetytips
http://www.habbo.com/groups/officialparentsguide
http://www.habbo.com/groups/ReportingAbuse
They are doing all they can to minimise the risk to the children on the site.
Actually it is about parents not doing enough to protect their childrens on-line safety end of.
Don't allow your kid to do something you're unable/unwilling to control is exactly that if you cannot be arsed or unable to monitor them them on-line don't let them do it simples.
No amount buttons moderators in the world are as effective as a parent saying "Well no you cannot have a Habbo account as in my opinion you're not going to safe because I am unable to keep you safe on-line"
It's not really a revelation is it? Anonimity is perfect for the pervs and paedos always has been always will be, or am I wrong?
And yes it is the easiest way to perv it up from the comfort of their grubby armchair and the box of cleenex.
Treat the net as such. If you cannot control it for the sake of you child don't let them do it end of really without your full undivided attention, remember the net (Habbo) or any social media site is not a childminder it's a tool and tools can and always will be abused by people.
I agree to a point (though it does ignore some of the realities of modern life) so the next question is then 'Who educates the parents ?'
Things like this Channel 4 report are invaluable and, to be honest, we could do wth a lot more of them. We need to know what sites aren't doing their bit for children's safety and then, if enough parents vote with their feet, the sites will soon come round. Moshi Monsters, for example, seems to have excellent security.