California Teen is Groomed by Predator through Roblox Platform
A California teen joined the online platform Roblox hoping to connect with others without the relentless social challenges she faced in real life. Instead, at just 13 years old, she was groomed by an online predator.
Roblox was created in 2006 and promises over 40 million in-game “experiences.” The platform has nearly 83 million daily users and 42% of its global players are under the age of 13. It also features a highly sought-after virtual currency known as Robux.
Amie, whose last name is omitted for her privacy, is now coming forward about the manipulation her daughter experienced while engaging with the platform and its community.
When Amie’s daughter asked to download Roblox, she was hesitant. But after considering the popularity of the game with local teenagers and her daughter’s struggle to make friends at school, she agreed.
The young teen logged on to Roblox each day after school, finding solace in the virtual world and an escape from her anxiety, ADHD, and learning disabilities. She connected with one user in particular, who convinced her to move their conversations to Discord – a virtual messaging platform.
“Before we start could u verify for me? Take a pic of u holding up 2 fingers,” the man instructed, meticulously identifying the teen before he escalated their conversation further.
The predator provided Amie’s daughter with validation and affection: messages like “I’ve missed u,” and “I love u sm (so much),” appeared alongside his sexually explicit content. “I would never leave u bb (baby),” he said. He promised her Robux so that she could advance in her favorite games.
His messages increased in frequency, and he would contact her repeatedly until she responded. The predator asked her to send explicit photos of herself in the school bathroom, and her boundaries were consistently pushed. “She got hooked in, emotionally. [She] thought this man loved her,” Amie said.
Amie was no stranger to the dangers of social media and technology – she had always monitored her daughter’s text messages and used parental control apps like Net Nanny, Qustodio and Kaspersky Safe Kids. Still, she had never considered that Roblox might be unsafe.
When her daughter confided in her best friend about the abuse, she was met with disbelief. “It’s not Roblox’s fault,” the friend told her. “Roblox is my life.”
When Amie deleted Roblox, her daughter felt as though her most reliable social outlet had been ripped from her grasp. She knew numerous teens in real life who were on the app constantly and wanted access regardless of the abuse.
“I know my mom's heart was in the right place,” she says. “But [I was like] let me get the game back.”
Authors: Andy Goldwasser and Alex Kabat
