Scratch is a website targeted towards children aged 8-16. Commonly used in schools, it is often many people's first introduction to coding, using blocks to introduce the different parts of a code.

One of the website's most commonly used features is the comments. On Scratch, you can comment on a user profile, project or a studio, which is a space where you can share similar projects with others. Despite the fact that the Scratch Team insists that it is a safe way to chat, that simply isn't the case.

In my years on the site, I have seen more than one instance of amateur teenagers hacking the site; most of the time it is to spam the major chat studios, but occasionally there have been other incidents, such as doxxing. As for the spam, those conducting the spam have used it to send rape threats, death threats, slurs, etc. Scratch claims its filter is functional and safe but if children with a bit of coding experience can completely disable it, there is a clear issue.

Another problem is the claim that Scratch is planning to use its projects to train AI. This is a major problem, as a lot of the people posting said projects are under 13, let alone under 18, meaning that the works of such young people are going to be fed into an AI and, effectively, stolen.

Despite desperate pleas from users who use the site for many different reasons, the Scratch Team has remained silent on the whole situation. All we want is one statement. Just one.

And maybe, just maybe, some action.