Yesterday, the British media was full of stories about Miss Bimbo, a virtual world aimed at teenage girls which lets them put their avatars on diets, or buy them boob jobs. As you can imagine, the tone of the media coverage was generally negative. Now, it seems the world could be facing regulatory action.
PhonepayPlus is the UK’s premium rate telecommunications regulator (you may know it by its former name, ICSTIS). The body has issued a press statement on Miss Bimbo:
“This service - like all premium rate services - is regulated by PhonepayPlus. Our Code of Practice has specific requirements for services that are targeted at children or likely to be particularly attractive to children. In addition to issues around cost, our rules make clear that services should not exploit or provide content that parents are likely to think unacceptable. We are looking into claims that the Miss Bimbo service might contravene these requirements. If any parents or children have views or concerns about this or any other service, they should contact us.”
Miss Bimbo has signed up more than 250,000 users, but in the face of media and parental disapproval, it won’t relish a battle with the regulators too.
0 comments