A US mum has taken to Facebook demanding answers after her child's avatar was gang raped on popular online game creation platform, Roblox.
According to mum Amber Petersen, her seven-year-old daughter was playing the game on her tablet at home. She explained that they decided to allow their daughter to play the game after adjusting the settings to maximum security.
Roblox has security settings that allow parents to block outside conversations and invitations. There are also 24-hour moderators who block any potentially inappropriate content, so they thought it would be alright.
If you are new to the game, Roblox is not just a shoot-everything-in-sight kind of game. There are actually many different segments and genres within the popular online game.
Amber's daughter was playing an age-appropriate game apparently designed especially for children. Nothing prepared Amber for what she was about to see when her daughter came over to ask her what was happening on the screen.
Gang Raped on Roblox
Traumatised and feeling violated on so many levels, the mum shared screenshots, which showed two male avatars attacking her daughter's female character – one from behind and one under her.
Imagine the mum's horror seeing her innocent seven-year-old daughter getting virtually gang raped on Roblox while another avatar watched. For all we know, it could have been another child!
Think for a second about the side effects of introducing sex to a child at that age. The mental trauma?
The screenshots she shared in Facebook, clearly showed a representation of the male genitalia, but we're blurring it here to save parents from disgust.
And just as quickly, the two perpetrators left the game after it was over.
Extremely upset, Amber posted this message on Facebook: "Parents/Caregivers... not only do I urge you to delete this app. I hope you will take another look at all of your devices and their security settings."
How Can They Allow a Child to be Gang Raped on Roblox?
Despite countless occasions of sexual abuse involving children on Roblox, we're shocked to find that it is still around!
When asked about the incident, a spokesperson said that they have banned the players who have violated its community policies and rules of conduct. They also emphasised that they have zero tolerance for this kind of behaviour and are working to ensure a safe platform for all users.
However, with 64 million players per month, suffice to say, Roblox is here to stay. So it is up to us parents to make a stand and stop our children from playing this game.
Yes, it is addictive. Yes, you can build anything on Roblox. Children can create their own games and also join in games created by others. There's even role-playing, dressing up and meeting other people in virtual space. We can see why Roblox is so popular among children.
However, if despite maximum security settings, a child can still be gang raped in Roblox in a child-appropriate game, then I'm sorry: It is not safe.
Please read this article for more on ensuring Internet safety for your kids: 10 things you need to teach your kids NOW about Internet safety
Source: BBC
Read also: 6-year-old girl invited into 'sex room' while playing video game!