MERIDYTH: So Roblox’s CEO has come out and said parents should simply not let kids onto the platform if they’re worried about safety. While I agree, it’s not always that easy. The CEO’s comments are horribly dismissive. He should be more empathetic and take more accountability.

ALISTER: The company has been working to address safeguarding concerns. They rolled out age verification, banned DMs for under-13s, even added daily screen-time trackers and increased parental controls. It’s not perfect nor complete, but the CEO’s comments were at least honest.

MERIDYTH: Please. He’s deflecting. They employ only 3,000 moderators, far less than TikTok’s number of moderators per daily user. It’s not enough. They have a systemic paedophile problem and are currently being sued in California for facilitating online sexual exploitation of children.

ALISTER: Roblox’s new ‘no under-13 hangouts’ policy starts next month. They’re learning. And the CEO is not wrong, parents should decide. Plus, kids do need to level up their digital literacy, which Roblox can help with. So it can also be a great learning platform. There are even reports of autistic children where Roblox lets them socialise without panic attacks.

MERIDYTH: You know what? Let’s have this conversation again when you have kids… and let’s see where you stand then.

🇬🇧 No squabble required

✈️ Rethink that trip to America. The UK (along with Germany, Finland, Denmark, and now Canada) has issued a travel warning to anyone going to the States. There’s been increased reports of detainments at the U.S. border upon arrival - regardless of visa or ESTA authorisations - some even being sent back home. The UK has advised that entry is not guaranteed.

✄ Welfare cuts announced. The BBC summarises the cuts here, but in short… there will be stricter eligibility criteria. Critics (incl celebrities like Sir Stephen Fry) say it’s devastating for our most vulnerable. The gov’t has defended the cuts to save billions, saying that it was “morally indefensible that a million young people are going essentially from education to benefits.”

🪚 And the cuts keep coming. Yesterday, Reeves announced 10,000 civil service, back-office jobs will be axed. Some are comparing Reeves to Musk’s DOGE. Stay tuned on Wednesday for the Spring Statement to see if even more cuts are coming!

🚕 PR or do they really care? Uber hasn’t had the greatest employer reputation. So now they’re offering 20 hours free child care to attract more female drivers in the UK. Industry bodies have criticised the empty gesture, saying they should start by ensuring everyone has a liveable wage.

🌎️ The rest of the world… according to us

Good News - The Pope was finally discharged yesterday. Finland was named the Happiest Country 8 years in a row. Bad News - The death toll in the Israel-Hamas War has surpassed 50,000 lives. And Putin has given Ukrainians living in Russia (and occupied areas of Ukraine) 6 months to become Russian citizens.

Also…

🥊 Icon of boxing. The lean, mean, grilling fighting machine, George Foreman has passed away. Aged 76 and considered by many to be one of the greatest Heavyweight champs, some may know him better (pending your age) by his popular grill range.

🇲🇽 Happy dance for bulls. Mexico City has banned killing bulls in bull fights. No more lances and spears, bull fighters will only be allowed their capes within the ring. Animal rights activists rejoice!

🇹🇷 Erdoğan’s rival arrested. Istanbul’s mayor, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and the current president’s biggest rival was arrested on charges of corruption, leading a criminal organisation, bribery, and misconduct. Mass protests have erupted across the country.

🍎 Part of your ‘5 A Day’

🍩 Chubby Filter cancelled. TikTok has pulled a new filter, called the Chubby Filter, or the Fat Filter depending on who you asked. The trend had individuals reacting to their look if they put on weight and laughing at the results. Critics have said fatphobia is very much alive.

🥤 Cancer juice. Soda, pop, can, sugary drink, fizzy, whatever you call it. That fizzy drink each day could be linked to cancer, so says a new study! Another excuse to stick to the water please.

🧦 The odd sock

✈️ Extreme day trips. Visiting a foreign city for less than a day is the latest rage. The idea is to spend six to eight hours in a single location and see everything they have to offer. Feels like a box ticking exercise to us with blurred memories. 🫤

🪙 Fools Gold. Two people with metal detectors ended up stealing £3m worth of ancient treasures. They uncovered 300 near mint coins over 1,400 years old without permission to detect on the land and failed to declare the find. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

🪦 But I’m still alive! A football club in Bulgaria, FC Arda Kardzhali, apologised after holding a moment of silence for the death of a former player… only to discover that he was alive and kicking. Oops. 😬 

🤬 Rants or Raves 🤩

by Meridyth

Since social media, our attention spans have become increasingly shorter. I admit, I have found myself sucked into Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts wondering where an hour of my life just went.

And now there’s a growing trend in China and the U.S. — micro dramas. These soap operas are filmed as one minute long episodes with cliff hangers to keep you addicted… and paying to see more episodes. Averaging $10-20 per week per user, business is expected to reach $15bn by 2027 in China alone.

So I downloaded the ReelShort app (DramaBox is another) to watch a popular show called, Fake Married to My Billionaire CEO.

Oh. My. God. AWFUL. I could barely get through the 3 episodes I watched, wishing I could get back those three minutes of my life. The production quality, bad. Script, bad. Acting, heinous.

I’m probably not the right demographic, I guess. But if you’re short on time and love soaps, then knock yourself out!

🤣 What do you meme? 

Hatchelorette Party?

So not a meme yet, but I can see it coming soon… because Hatchelorette and Dadchelor Parties are becoming a thing! What are they?

@thekatiebeach

What are your thoughts on hatchlorette and dadchelor parties? Would you do one?? #pregnant #pregnancy #firsttimemom #firsttimeparent #pre... See more

Seriously? So not only have I spent loads of money on friends for engagement parties, bachelorette parties, weddings, baby showers and baby gifts… I now need to shell out more for hatchelorettes? UGH. 😫

Whew, you made it!

It was a bit of a rough week. Alister threw out his back. Meridyth doom scrolled herself into misery. Fingers crossed for a happier week. We’ll let you know how it went in our next Squabble!

Alister & Meridyth