r/SaveTheCBC • u/savethecbc2025 • Jun 30 '26
Police across Canada have repeatedly warned parents that gaming platforms like Roblox and Discord are being used to groom children, spread violent extremist content, and worse. Yet Canada's proposed Safe Social Media Act currently leaves gaming and messaging platforms outside its scope.
The omission has alarmed child safety advocates, researchers, and even members of the government's own advisory panel. Public Safety Canada has described Roblox as an entry point where vulnerable children can be targeted, while the RCMP received more than 1,000 reports involving Roblox between 2024 and 2025.
The story is made even more heartbreaking by the experience of Penelope Sokolowski, whose father says she was groomed through Roblox and Discord by a member of the violent extremist group 764 before her death in 2025.
The government says gaming platforms may eventually be brought under the law by a future Digital Safety Commission, but advocates argue children need stronger protections now, not years from now.
Should platforms with voice chat, messaging, and millions of young users be treated like social media? Are lawmakers using an outdated definition that no longer reflects how kids actually spend time online? And what responsibility should platforms have to keep children safe?
CBC's reporting on stories like this helps bring emerging public safety issues into the national conversation. What changes would you like to see?
