Online violence and discrimination against children in gaming is a serious problem that has been on the rise in the last few years, and joint cooperation of all participants in gaming communities is needed to prevent and reduce it, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality emphasized at the conference on data protection in gaming, which the Serbian Gaming Association organized as part of the “Creative Tech Serbia” program.
Speaking on a panel dedicated to protecting children in gaming, the Commissioner stated that online discrimination and violence can take many forms, including threats, insults, humiliation, sexual harassment, abuse, and physical violence. She pointed out that parents should talk to their children about how to behave in an online environment, and gaming companies should develop clear guidelines on what is considered unacceptable behavior and take action against participants who violate it. Finally, gaming communities themselves can take steps to reduce online violence against children, which includes actively supporting victims and raising awareness about this problem, Janković stated.
She said that the Commissioner has not had a single case related to gaming so far, which does not mean that various forms of discrimination in gaming are not present. That is why the Commissioner constantly carries out activities aimed at raising awareness among children about the problem of discrimination in all spheres of society, including in the field of gaming, and for these needs, various educational materials, adapted publications, and complaint forms for children have been developed, Janković pointed out.
In addition to Commissioner Brankica Janković, Milan Marinović, Commissioner for Information of Public Importance and Protection of Personal Data, Jelena Adamović from the SHARE Foundation, Mina Bogdanović from the Piksel company, and Srđan Grbić, software developer and member of UNICEF’s online volunteers, also spoke on the panel, while the moderator was Vesna Savić Đukić, from UNICEF in Serbia.
