Actress Claire Sweeney has issued an urgent warning to parents after claiming her son, 7, was allegedly targeted by online thieves while using the Roblox platform.
The singer and actress took to Twitter to ask fellow parents if they used the online gaming platform and explained that her young son had allegedly been targeted by hackers while playing it himself.
‘Parents out there, anyone’s kids play Roblox? Yesterday my son was playing, and I saw on the chat in the corner, someone was asking him to go to my purse, take out my credit card and read the numbers!’ she wrote.
She also commented that the unknown user named sinisterly, claimed to know her child’s, ‘name, age and [said he knew] everything about him.’
‘Roblox seems a dangerous place for kids. Thankfully he told me!’
The game claims to be the world’s largest social platform for play with millions of players able to design their own games or join in other people’s games.
Parents out there, anyoneâ€
s kids play Roblox? Yesterday my son was playing, and I saw on the chat in the corner,someone was asking him to go to my purse,take out my credit card and read the numbers!! @Roblox seems a dangerous place for kids. Thankfully he told me!
— Claire Sweeney (@clairesweeney) December 26, 2022
s kids play Roblox? Yesterday my son was playing, and I saw on the chat in the corner,someone was asking him to go to my purse,take out my credit card and read the numbers!!
Released in 2006, Roblox is a user-generated, multi-player online social gaming platform.
The game is free to download and install but there are in-app purchases available. Using virtual currency, known as Robux, users can buy things such as accessories or limited items.
Other parents replied to the Hollyoaks star’s tweet, and some reported similar experiences with similar apps, offering tips and suggestions to maximise safety for younger users online.
One parent said, ‘Disable the messages on the app to try and keep your child as safe as possible. If they’re playing with friends you know in real life, encourage them to use another form of communication such as over the phone so they know exactly who they’re talking to.’
‘Hackers are now targeting kids on all applications including WhatsApp messenger, check your settings and deactivate chat – also set up two factor authentication on all his devices. We work with kids through Absafe and have heard horror stories,’ added user Louise.
TV and radio personality Jeremy Vine also replied, saying he had done a recent piece on a similar topic.
‘My 9-year-old son says you can disable unknown people contacting you by selecting settings, then privacy and then go to ‘chat’, click the arrow at the end, then ‘friends only’ in the chat and then ‘save’. Hope this helps! I do find it a worry too!’ advised Steph.
On Roblox’s website, there is a safety section for parents, which advises the various steps the platform takes to ensure it’s safe for its users, including avatar clothing detection and customisable parental controls.
‘Community safety and ensuring an appropriate and fun experience for our users are top priorities at Roblox. Inappropriate content or behavior that violates our Terms of Use is not acceptable,’ Roblox said in a statement to Metro.co.uk
They also emphasised further safety features, including the ability for users to restrict or disable chat, to block specific user accounts from direct chat, curated/pre-moderated content on site and a ‘report abuse’ option.
‘If a parent/user would like to make a report about an incident such as this, there are Report Abuse links located throughout the site, and in every game, that will send reports directly to our moderators for review. They can also contact Roblox Customer Care directly by filling out a contact form,’ they added.
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