British Esports and NSPCC Announce Safeguarding Event for the Esports Industry

British Esports and National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) join forces with landmark safeguarding conference aimed at uniting industry stakeholders, fostering best practices and promoting a safer esports environment for all.

British Esports, the national body for esports in the UK and the NSPCC, the UK’s leading children’s charity, have teamed up to help the esports sector set a new standard for safeguarding young people. 

The NSPCC Safeguarding in Esports Conference is taking place on Friday 9th February at the Confetti X esports arena in Nottingham and will support attendees to understand their safeguarding responsibilities and ultimately protect themselves and the individuals they work with. The conference forms part of the NSPCC’s recently announced national Game Safe Festival happening from the 5th -11th February.

The keynote address will be delivered by Sir Peter Wanless, CEO of the NSPCC, with additional presentations from Michelle North, Associate Head of the Child Protection in Sport Unit, amongst others. The event will share best practice from traditional sport and esports, discuss industry specific challenges and facilitate an open forum to develop further guidance that will raise the standard of safeguarding within esports.  

A recent report by the NSPCC saw an 82% rise in online grooming crimes against children in the last 5 years. The news also comes as the Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, published a new report on children’s views on video gaming, illustrating the massive influence video games have on young people today and the importance of having fun whilst staying safe and healthy.

The conference is open to organisations from across the esports ecosystem as well as stakeholders from education, traditional sports and business, along with individual attendees including influencers, athletes, coaches and parents. Attendance can be both in-person and online.

Tom Dore, Vice President at British Esports, said:

“As part of our new partnership with the UK’s leading children’s charity, the NSPCC, we’re pleased to announce the Safeguarding in Esports Conference, a significant step towards the establishment of effective processes and practices for online safety and safeguarding in esports.”  

“As esports becomes ever more mainstream and appeals to a wider audience and a younger demographic, online safety and safeguarding must become a priority in order to protect everyone involved and provide a safe and secure environment.  We’re proud to partner with the NSPCC to deliver the first safeguarding in esports conference of its kind. We look forward to welcoming everyone at this inaugural event.” 

Lewie Procter, Head of Gaming Partnerships at the NSPCC, said:

“This conference is a key part of the first, exciting adventure of ours into the world of gaming”.

“At the NSPCC, we work tirelessly to protect children both in the physical and online world, and the NSPCC Safeguarding in Esports Conference is a way in which we can share those values with the world of Esports, and celebrate our shared passion for gaming.

“This conference will help us to embed ourselves into this world and enable us to understand and move with the ever-changing technology of gaming, and better connect with gaming and Esports industry partners, with the goal of collaboratively advancing the cause of child safety.”

Tickets are available now in limited quantities via the ‘Get Involved’ section of the official Game Safe website. Game Safe Festival | Esports tournament, workshops & more | NSPCC.