A cyber expert is warning parents about "Roblox," a social gaming app that allows kids to play online. Apparently, there's a feature in the game that has been exploited by sexual predators who target unsuspecting kids for a sex chat.
Susan McLean, a cyber expert from Australia, reached out to parents of kids who enjoy downloaded apps. Following reports of children experiencing inappropriate encounters on "Roblox," McLean suggested parents should look into the type of games their children are accessing on the internet.
"Any app or platform or game that allows two-way interaction between your child and another player is going to have predators on it," McLean warned, according to ABC Australia. "The risk ramps up when you can have chat. That's one of the features of this game."
A dad from the U.K. learned first-hand his sons were being targeted by predators at "Roblox." He examined the gaming app and it looked harmless at first. When he befriended one player, however, his in-game character was lured into a virtual bedroom.
"[They] asked me to lay down on top of them and then they started with the sexual movements," dad Iain Morrison said, according to Mirror. "It was just sickening reading all the comments pop up." The father has since deleted the app from his sons' iPad and the game has been banned in their household.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection also issued a similar warning to parents about "Roblox" following reports from users about the sex chat rooms, per Today's Parent. The company responded to the agency citing that it has installed a chat filtering software. It also has human moderators to review images, videos and other content uploaded in the game.
"Roblox" also has a security feature that parents can tweak themselves, according to Snopes. Parents can monitor their kids' activities on this gaming app if they also actively check this regularly.
"Roblox" has been operating as a massive-multiplayer gaming site since 2006. It has evolved into a social gaming app, where the players can build or design their environment. The game has been compared to "Minecraft."
