Club Penguin could be making a comeback thanks to a politician - but not everyone is convinced

Children of a certain generation will remember the online platform that was Club Penguin, the site where you could play games, chat with friends, and get kicked if you said naughty words such as “ass” too much.

Launched in 2005, Disney discontinued the official website in 2017 and launched the mobile app Club Penguin Island, only for this to be shut down a year later.

While a fan-run site called Club Penguin Online picked up one million new players during the coronavirus lockdown in 2020, Disney ordered its closure after it was reported that it was being used to send explicit messages to children, and racist, homophobic and antisemitic messages were common on the site.

And almost a decade after the closure of the original site, people are still nostalgic about the penguin platform, including Glasgow South MP and Labour politician Gordan McKee.

Taking to TikTok on Thursday, the 31-year-old said: “The death of Club Penguin was a tragedy, not just because it was fun for kids, but because it was a safe space online, and there isn’t enough of those.

“There was human moderators 24/7, you couldn’t use bad language in chat – and sometimes you could only use pre-written sentences – and you couldn’t send pictures.

“It was a way for kids to learn how to use the internet safely and socialise with their friends online.”

Former UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced last month that the government would ban under-16s from using social media sites such as Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube – taking inspiration from legislation implemented in Australia.

Referencing this ban, the first set of regulations for which could come into effect in spring next year, McKee continued: “As we move towards a ban for under-16s on social media, we’ve got to make sure kids know how to use the internet safely and aren’t trapped in dangerous algorithms.

“So if you miss Club Penguin, let me know in the comments, and if this video gets 200K likes, I will raise bringing back Club Penguin in parliament.”

Since sharing the video, however, the reaction has been mixed.

One tweeted: “As a UK taxpayer I implore that my taxes be spent solely on bringing Club Penguin back”:

“I suspect a lot of the panic in recent years about social media is linked to the closure of kid friendly online spaces with good moderation like Club Penguin,” another suggested:

And a third said it is “not the worst idea”:

But others expressed concern, with one writing: “Little does this guy know, it’s gonna be a bunch of adults chasing nostalgia playing the f***ing game:

At the time of writing, McKee only has 12,000 likes on the post, which is quite a way away from the 20,000 like target.

Disney has been approached by indy100 for comment.

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