‘My daughter, 14, was groomed after meeting man on Roblox’
My daughter, 14, was groomed after meeting man on Roblox
A Mother’s Alarm Over Online Grooming
A parent from Greater Manchester expressed frustration over the lack of protection for children on Roblox after her 14-year-old daughter was manipulated into sharing explicit content with a man she met on the platform. The incident unfolded in September 2024, when the perpetrator, Carlo Tritta, was just 18 years old.
“I was just shocked, bewildered, really angry,” the mother said. “Not with my daughter because I had to keep saying to her ‘I’m not angry with you’ but I couldn’t speak. I don’t think your brain can take in what you’re seeing and obviously that’s your child.”
The Grooming Process
Tritta, now 19, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, initially bonded with the teenager through casual conversations on Roblox. Over time, he shifted their interactions to other messaging apps, claiming to love her while sending her takeaways and a secret phone to her home. The mother noted the daughter had been communicating with him for months without suspicion.
Discovery and Escalation
The mother’s concern escalated when she found a message on her daughter’s phone that hinted at something troubling. The girl pleaded with her not to look, but the mother’s curiosity led to a chilling revelation. “There were a lot of sexual images, videos, really bad ones,” she recalled.
Roblox’s Response
A Roblox spokesperson acknowledged the case, stating the platform was “deeply troubled by the incident” and committed to creating safety measures to prevent such occurrences. They highlighted their age verification system, which limits interactions to users of similar ages or those already known to each other. However, the mother argued that the system fell short in this case.
The Legal Outcome
Tritta was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for distributing indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications, and exposing the victim to sexual content. He also admitted to intimidating a witness and causing damage. His actions culminated in a visit to the victim’s home, where he disabled the doorbell camera and entered without permission.
“He was just at my kitchen door talking about nightmares while me and my daughter were just sat in the living room writing Christmas cards and watching Christmas TV,” the mother described.
A Call for Greater Safeguards
The mother emphasized the need for stricter measures, warning other parents about the risks of children interacting with adults on gaming platforms. “It’s a kids’ game and adults are getting on there to groom children,” she said. “So they need to do something about it. It should just be for kids. Not for adults to go on to groom.”
With over 144 million daily active users, Roblox claims its safety systems are robust. Yet, the mother believes more needs to be done to shield young users from predatory behavior. She described how Tritta controlled her daughter’s online world, knowing her routines, friends, and activities, leaving her feeling trapped and vulnerable to suicidal thoughts.
