Minecraft YouTuber CallMeCarson, otherwise known as Carson King, was accused of sexting underaged girls and exploiting them for sexual images earlier this month. The controversy was brought to light after a Twitter user posted screenshots of Discord conversations between her and King when she was a minor.

CallMeCarson is a famous Youtuber and Twitch streamer who streams many games, but is best known for his Minecraft gameplay. He has millions of followers on YouTube and on his social medias. Because of Minecraft’s universal accessibility, many of his audience members tend to be either children or teens watching his videos.

“I have heard of him [CallMeCarson], through Twitch and YouTube,” said Alex Haga (‘21).

Recently King has come under fire for allegations of him inappropriately sexting and potentially grooming some of his younger fans. These conversations on Discord and Snapchat have been posted on Twitter as screenshots.

One such example was posted by a woman named Sam(@miniborb) on Twitter. She states that she tweeted Carson to be her boyfriend, as a joke when she was 17 years old. Included in her series of tweets included screenshots of her and Carson, who was 19 at the time, chatting on a messaging site called Discord. Many of the messages are sexual, with some including Carson asking her for nude photos. Carson has not apologized for his actions nor has he publicly released a statement on these allegations, although one of those related in the situation has.

My statement about the Carson situation. pic.twitter.com/88oHCYFbIO

— Slimecicle (@Slimecicle) January 5, 2021

CallMeCarson is not the only influencer in recent times who has been accused of taking advantage of their younger, impressionable fans. Gaming YouTuber and Twitch streamer Craig “Mini Ladd” Thompson was also accused of sexual harassment to underage fans in June 2020. Two women came forward with their statements about Mini Ladd, claiming that when they were minors, Mini Ladd sent them sexual messages that made them uncomfortable. Shortly after, Mini Ladd came forward with an apology for his past actions and behavior.

“I take full responsibility for the inappropriate texts and messages I sent. I regret having said or sent anything that made anyone uncomfortable or upset,” said Mini Ladd in a Twitter statement.

Despite scandals from the past and present, steps to prevent exploitation of fans or a punishment system remain severely lacking. On the livestreaming site Twitch, streamers will be banned from their account if accused of sexual harassment and/or sexual abuse, but policies of other platforms remain steadfastly vague and without proper guidelines.