I agree that this is happening now. In my opinion what would stop this to a certain extent is to make starting items unlootable. I think this would reduce the amount of griefing against new players. With the removal of safe zones, I think this would be extremely important for new players. Because if new players are griefed and all of their tools/clothes are taken and they have no idea what to do next, nor have the ability to do much, many potential players will simply leave the game.