With all of the awesomeness that comes with modern technology, it's important for parents to stay on their A-game to protect their kids, as danger can lurk in the most unexpected places. Iain Morrison is an English father who claims he was propositioned by a child predator while playing on Roblox — the #1 gaming site for kids and teens — and his disturbing story should make all of us stop and take note.
Morrison is the father of two sons, ages 8 and 12, who are obsessed with the insanely popular Minecraft-like gaming site Roblox. The site claims to be a "safe, moderated place to meet, play, chat, and collaborate on creative projects," but Iain wanted to have a closer look.
… And my, what Iain says happened to him when he posed as an 8-year-old boy will make you cringe.
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"From the outlook it [the game] looks completely fine, you can go into different rooms and in the first room I wasn't sent anything untoward," Morrison told the Sun. He continued:
Then I went in this waterslide room with a pool and immediately was propositioned. They said 'hi' so I said 'hi' and they asked if I was a boy or girl and my age so I said I was an eight-year-old boy.
They asked me to follow them to their house, then into the bedroom and asked me to lay down on top of them and then they started with the sexual movements. They said 'You look cute' and 'You look sexy.'
It was just sickening reading all the comments pop up. My kids were completely oblivious as to what the words and stuff meant.
Um … what?!
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Iain was rightfully pissed and took to Facebook to further show his abhorrence for what happened and to warn other parents about the potential danger.
Embedded content: https://www.facebook.com/pulse.f.pt/posts/1195026293948178
Morrison's post quickly went viral and started a heated debate online. In response to the dad's troubling incident, the website Snopes even published an article calling claims that Roblox is dangerous and exposes kids to pedophiles "unproven."
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Regardless of the controversy, Iain's experience should be a wake-up call for all parents to monitor the games our children play — especially since Roblox boasts a kidSAFE Seal that indicates it meets specific standards for online safety and privacy, is in full compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and supposedly places children under age 12 on controlled settings.
Games like Roblox that encourage community interaction make me nervous for when my sons — now ages 3 and 1½ — grow up. Granted, Roblox isn't the first site to encourage online game play with others, including people you don't know who can have access to you through chat and messages. In fact, these types of gaming networks have become an everyday thing, and knowing that pushes me to find ways to allow my kids to enjoy games they like as they grow up while still keeping them safe.
Roblox mentions on its website that you can report violations and block users from chatting with you. In addition, Roblox recommends parents keep their children's accounts safe by using two-step verification to prevent strangers from having access to their kids, keeping all personal information private, and creating a strong password to prevent hackers from unlocking kids' accounts.
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As hard as it is for me to fathom sick and twisted people preying on children, I know it's a horrifying reality, and it fuels me to stay alert. Predators are getting savvier by the day, and that should inspire every mom and dad to go the extra distance to try to keep kids safe online.