If you're a parent in 2018, chances are you've heard the words Minecraft, Roblox, and Fortnite. The video games are among the most popular for kids in elementary and middle school, but how safe are they, really? In news that will make most parents sick to their stomachs, 24 men were arrested in a sting operation in New Jersey for allegedly using these games and others to lure kids into being potential victims of sex crimes.
These games allow kids to chat with other players, which can make them vulnerable to predators.
According to NJ.com, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said that members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force set up profiles and pretended to be 14- and 15-year-old players on various games and apps that appeal to kids. Then, they were approached by grown men who thought they were talking to teens.
In a "To Catch a Predator"-style operation, the men were invited to a location to meet and where they were arrested. According to WPIX, one of them was 47-year-old Richard Conte of the Howell Township Police Department, who thought he was talking to a 15-year-old girl. He was suspended from the force upon his arrest.
Other men arrested were security guards, firefighters, a nurse, a physical therapist -- all of whom thought they were chatting with and meeting kids.
"As far as some of the games — like for example Fortnight, Minecraft, Roblox — we’ve had all kinds of cases where individuals are posing as someone else other than a 14-year-old in order to gain someone's trust," State Police Lt. John Pizzuro, the commander of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, told WPIX.
This isn't the first time concerns have been raised about these multiplayer games. Earlier this year a mom warned parents that her 7-year-old daughter's avatar was "gang raped" while the little girl was playing Roblox on her mom's phone. The problem is that these games give strangers access to young kids, and many parents don't know to be aware of the danger.
“It’s critical that parents talk to their children about social media and chat apps to let them know that the people they encounter may not be who they initially seemed to be," Grewal told WPIX.
The attorney general told NJ.com there are a few ways to keep kids safe while gaming.
Talking to them about the online version of "stranger danger" is one way. "If children appear anxious or evasive when the topic is raised, it may be a red flag," he said.
Another one is making sure they're old enough to be using the apps and games they're playing — some require kids to be 13 or even 18 — and disabling the chat function in games such as Fortnite and Roblox.
The men busted in New Jersey each face a minimum of five to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $150,000 on a second-degree charge of child luring. But those 24 men were only in the state of New Jersey. It's not hard to imagine there are more of them all over the country, and we have to be on guard with these games all the time to make sure they aren't targeting our kids.
