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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Roblox, gender identity and safeguarding

64 replies

FemaleAndLearning · 25/04/2021 09:57

A long article from the Guardian not really saying much but seems to lack any idea of safeguarding for the children who identify as trans and for children in general. "Hannah" ordered oestrogen online. There was no discussion about the risks of doing this. It was completely normalised. Also, flippant discussion of using Discord to get around strict chat guidelines within Roblox.
www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/games/2021/apr/24/in-the-game-i-knew-myself-as-hannah-the-trans-gamers-finding-freedom-on-roblox

OP posts:
IvyTwines2 · 26/04/2021 12:24

And that no-one at the Guardian involved in the process of preparing this article for publication thought 'fucking hell' and raised concerns... what the hell is going on at that newspaper?

stackthecats · 26/04/2021 12:44

@IvyTwines2

And that no-one at the Guardian involved in the process of preparing this article for publication thought 'fucking hell' and raised concerns... what the hell is going on at that newspaper?
I think it's just that pretty much all the editorial / writing staff are from the kind of young woke metropolitan childless left that I was just writing about on another thread....and they are so trapped in a kind of late millennial/gen Z worldview that it genuinely doesn't occur to them that most people over 25 will read this and think a) why is a 20 year old male-bodied person being presented to us as if they are a vulnerable female child? and b) why on earth would I want my six year old being "chatted to" online by older teens and adults in any respect?
IvyTwines2 · 26/04/2021 16:17

Yes, though Millennials at least must have grown up during that period when schools and other orgs were very meticulous about safeguarding - so much so that there was that Brass Eye parody of it. That all seems to have been thrown out of the window now.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 26/04/2021 16:48

"Bodily autonomy" seems to be the answer to everything.

IvyTwines2 · 28/04/2021 10:28

'“I just punched myself because I could have just come out at 10 years old and started puberty blockers,” she says. “Now I have to get surgery to reverse puberty.” She has spent almost three years on the NHS gender clinic’s waiting list, in the meantime opting for a private consultation, after which she was prescribed hormones. She now wants vocal cord surgery to feminise her voice and the gender-affirming procedure commonly known as “bottom surgery”, which she estimates will cost £30,000 in total.'

'Reverse puberty'? And no mention of 'top surgery'. And that 'childhood bedroom' pic dressed in girlish, not 20-year-old-womanly, clothes. And the hormones, vocal cord and 'bottom surgery' being funded, it seems, by kindly strangers Hannah's met online. This all comes across as trying to create a sort of Peter Pan-like bonsai child.

Ereshkigalangcleg · 28/04/2021 10:49

It's a grim story.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 28/04/2021 11:07

that 'childhood bedroom' pic dressed in girlish, not 20-year-old-womanly, clothes. And the hormones, vocal cord and 'bottom surgery' being funded, it seems, by kindly strangers Hannah's met online. This all comes across as trying to create a sort of Peter Pan-like bonsai child.

The infantilisation of Hannah is particularly disturbing.

AfternoonToffee · 28/04/2021 11:41

I have recently banned my 9 year old from Roblox, it was quite scary to see how she was sucked in. tbh she was quiet, I was working from home, so it kind of went under my radar. I was alerted when a worrying chat notification popped up on my tablet, which is when I delved deeper. I am pretty certain she had been communicating on Discord (though she denies this) I haven't yet read the other links about safety, but I will.

The article posted it as some harmless fun, but I have absolutely no idea who she was communicating and playing with and at 9 she hasn't the experience or skills to deal with this. The fact that it is celebrated in the article that Hannah is acting as some sort of mother figure is really worrying.

Actually my DD has not really made a fuss about not going on, she has tried a couple of times but I now have two step verification so has been unsuccessful.

I don't even know what I am writing here, but Roblox isn't the innocent game it seems it is.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 28/04/2021 12:06

The fact that it is celebrated in the article that Hannah is acting as some sort of mother figure is really worrying.

One of many red flags

randomlyLostInWales · 28/04/2021 12:14

I wouldn't let any child near Roblox full-stop.

Only reason mine knew about it or went near it was the bloody primary school promoting it - then 12 months later screaming about safe guarding concerns and about lack of parental supervison (mine were supervised in a downstairs room and asked what they were doing periodically and we still has issue stopping DS using it) while still allowing school access before finally blocking it.

That was a few years ago.

They have cheap/second hand smart phones from 11 - as not having such phone at secondary would mark them out - as everyone does. Since this last year the also have own laptops as they've been needed for school work and since eveyone's been in the house they have got used to having them in their rooms to work.

Only eldest has a whatsapp group with friends - other two make do with texts and none have FB/twitter or other platforms - we reserve right to check what they are up to on the phones which they know and phone are downstairs ar night. We and the shcool and us talk about people not being who they say on internet regularly - even before the are on social media about employers and other looking at past posts - having things locked down.

We're unusally tech savy and seem to have good relationship with our kids but we've still had issues - DS managed to run up a phone bill depite a cap becuase he found a round about way to buy in game things and not realise he was being billed and we did have to pay that and then put in even more safe guards on the phone contract - that was a leaning moment for us all.

I think while parents have a part to play but everyone's very quick to blame them for any issues and I don't think normalising odd on-line behavior in national newspapers helps anyone.

AfternoonToffee · 28/04/2021 12:14

@HecatesCatsInFancyHats

The fact that it is celebrated in the article that Hannah is acting as some sort of mother figure is really worrying.

One of many red flags

I'm just trying to get my head round it all. It was a major parenting fail on my part, but I am just glad I found out what was going on and could put an immediate stop to it. It could so easily have escalated. Sad
AfternoonToffee · 28/04/2021 12:18

^^ I realise Hecate's post wasn't critical of me, just adding a bit more to what I said originally.

HecatesCatsInFancyHats · 28/04/2021 12:29

Yes, toffee - it's the article I was referring to. Should have said so.

AfternoonToffee · 28/04/2021 12:42

Smile I didn't want to come across all grumpy. Grin

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