The Danger Is Real – Protect Your Children from Online Predators Today
- John O'Maley
- Apr 18
- 2 min read
Dear Stronger Families Community,
A heartbreaking and terrifying incident recently made headlines: a 10-year-old Florida girl was kidnapped by a 26-year-old man she met through an online video game. After weeks of communication through the platform, the man gained her trust, groomed her emotionally, and ultimately lured her out of her home in the middle of the night. She was rescued in another state, and thankfully is alive—but the trauma is irreversible.
Let this serve as a sobering wake-up call to all of us:🎮
Online video games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are not harmless.They are powerful tools for predators who use chat features to groom and manipulate vulnerable children. These platforms are not toys—they’re gateways. If your child is gaming online unsupervised, they are at risk.
At StrongerFamiliesOnline.com, we provide real solutions—because awareness without action changes nothing. That’s why we urge every parent to:
🔒 Install filtering and monitoring tools like Game Safe – designed to block hidden chatrooms, track predatory language, and alert you in real time.
📱 Know every app and platform your child uses. If your child plays Roblox or similar games, chat should be turned off. You should be able to see who they talk to, how long they’re online, and what they’re saying.
💬 Have the conversation. Start now. Tell your child: “No one you meet online is truly your friend. No one should ask where you live or try to move a conversation to another app.”
🙏 Pray for protection, and act to enforce it. Our children are digital natives—but they are still children. They need your courage to set boundaries and your vigilance to enforce them.
💥 The predator in this case didn’t wear a mask or sneak into her room—he came through her device.
Let’s not wait until it’s our child.
Visit StrongerFamiliesOnline.com today to get our free resource kits, videos, and tech tools. Learn how to lock down your home digitally, just like you would your front door.
For your children,
Deacon John O’Maley
Founder, Parents Protecting Children
Online video games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite are not harmless
Empowering Catholic families to navigate the digital world with faith, safety, & responsibility
Comments