Online predator prevention - am I being paranoid?

Dec 23·1 min read

So I had a scare last month where a stranger was messaging my 10yo on Roblox. Nothing escalated but it shook me. I know this stuff happens but I'm trying to find the balance between keeping him safe and letting him actually play online games like a normal kid. Do I hover? Do I have him show me all his chats? Do I limit multiplayer games? I hate that I'm now paranoid every time he's playing. What's reasonable protection without being overbearing?

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Comments(5)

DDrew H.RegularDec 24

The balance is real though. Kids need to learn internet safety but total lockdown backfires. I'd say let him keep gaming but make it a house rule that all in-game friends are people from school or IRL. That cuts the stranger factor way down

MMiles B.New DadDec 24

Your instinct to freak out is actually the RIGHT parenting move here. Better to overreact once and have a talk than to brush it off

FFrank D.RegularDec 25

This scared me too when I found out my daughter had been chatting with someone 'in her grade' who was actually asking for pics. She's 11. Now we have parental controls on everything - not to snoop on normal stuff but specifically to block DMs from strangers. Roblox, Discord, all of it

RReggie K.New DadDec 25

Not paranoid at all - Roblox is genuinely sketchy with that stuff. The fact that you caught it early is huge. Did you check his chat logs after? Those messages are usually saved somewhere

PPhil C.RegularDec 25

I had the same thing happen with my 9yo on Discord. Here's what actually helped: I didn't ban the platform, I just made it visible. Gaming in living room only, friend requests gotta be approved by me first, and I randomly check chat. Kids know I'm watching but not helicopter-level