The site’s Safe Chat only allows kids to use words that are on the approved ‘white list’ – a different approach to the usual ‘black list’ of banned words. We also employ more than 225 moderators, tracking some 70m lines of conversation globally every day on a 24/7 basis.”īut the question this raises is not ‘why has Habbo failed to protect users?’ – instead we should be asking ‘what more can be done?’Ī Disney spokesperson told MCV that it has gone beyond typical filters to protect users of its popular Club Penguin site. In his statement last week, Habbo CEO Paul LaFontaine said: We filter content and block inappropriate users. The Habbo case has shown very clearly how important it is to make sure your systems are checked and tested regularly.”
We have PEGI, parental controls on all consoles and most online games have robust and rigorously enforced policies to reduce the risk of children accessing inappropriate content. UKIE CEO Dr Jo Twist said: The games industry generally has a good track record in having measures in place to protect children. While Habbo is in essence a chat room, its game-like interface draws attention to our industry.
The incident raised several questions about child safety online. It detailed the protective measures that it uses, muted all public conversations and began its own investigations into user behaviour.īut it wasn’t enough to prevent further reports throughout the mainstream press, or GAME, WH Smith and Tesco from pulling the site’s prepaid content cards. Habbo did its best to lay people’s fears to rest. The outcry was predictable, but understandable.
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