As part of a story on the ways sexual predators from the United States are using technology like online game consoles to âlureâ Canadian kids, CBCâs Gosia Sawicka decided to do a little first-hand reporting and signed up to Sonyâs PlayStation Home service. Posing as a 13 year-old girl.
What she found was as sad as it was predictable.
I canât view the video of the story on CBC, but a Huffington Post report says that Sawicka â using the handle Em_giirl13 (subtle) â was âapproached by several individualsâ within minutes, who âasked her sexually explicit questions, even after learning she was just 13â.
Note: the image above is not from the CBC story.
She also âreceived requests for photos, numerous private messages and invitations to voice chatâ.
While itâs safe to assume that most, if not all the examples in this case were just people screwing around, there are two problems here. The first is that targeting young people in online games (itâs unfair to single out Home here, since this happens anywhere there are kids and an internet connection) is something sexual predators actually do. Which is why people like Det.-Sgt. Darren Oleksiuk, from the Winnipeg Police Serviceâs Internet Child Exploitation unit, do what they do.
âThey try to be the same ageâ, Oleksiuk says. âThey try to be a friend and try to be like the person and thatâs classic grooming on behalf of the offender.â
The second is that, because of this, even if youâre just screwing around (whatâs wrong with you?), you can end up in deep trouble if youâre caught.
Video game chat monitoring urged to prevent child luring [CBC]
U.S. Predators Use Video Games To Lure Canadian Kids [Huffington Post]
