DUBAI: The Middle Eastern developers of a new headset designed to protect child gamers from online predators hope the device will help quell a reported surge in abuse cases during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdowns.
The pandemic has resulted in people spending more time online and the popularity of gaming has grown significantly, particularly among youngsters.
But according to research, the trend has led to increasing numbers of children falling prey to tricksters who groom them into sharing explicit photos and videos by sending them gaming currency.
UK charity, the Internet Watch Foundation, recently recorded a monthly record of more than 15,000 reports of online child abuse in September alone, while another British campaign organization the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children uncovered 1,220 online offenses against children in the first three months of lockdown.