When the Finnish organization Protect Children asked anonymous perpetrators who search for child abuse material online how they first try to contact children for grooming purposes, four out of ten of the roughly 200 respondents answered that they use gaming platforms.
Games have often been overlooked in this context, but online games are particularly dangerous environments, because young users do not expect to be exposed to real dangers there, writes the organization.
The Swedish children’s rights organization Child X has started a campaign to warn about the risks.
– Many parents think that when the children are in their safe room and playing, it is calm. But maybe that’s when you really need to be on the lookout, says Secretary General Ida Östensson.
“Roblox” and “Star stable”
For Malin Joleby, a postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institute, who studies both perpetrators and how children are exposed online, the result does not come as a shock. Where children are, there the perpetrators find. Because the players hide behind avatars, they are often more anonymous than in social media.
Players in titles such as “Roblox”, “Fortnite” and “Among us” have been exposed. Another example is the Swedish horse game “Star stable”, where a man was sentenced in 2020 for abuse, attempted rape and rape of 84 children.
– In all games where children are, where you can communicate with others, I guess it occurs, she says.
It happens that the perpetrator entices with rewards in the games – such as cosmetic appearances (skins) or currency – in exchange for the children sending pictures.
“Try to be curious”
Extra problematic is if gambling is a source of conflict in homes.
– Then maybe it constitutes an additional obstacle for the children to dare to say that “now this is happening to me in the game”, because then you know that you will not be allowed to play anymore, says Malin Joleby and continues:
– My general advice to adults is to try to be curious about the children’s world. It also includes an online world. People often ask how it was at school, but they don’t ask how it was online.
Perhaps this article can spark conversation:
Malin Joleby always advises parents to take the chance when they have read or heard something about this in the media.
– To say that I saw in the newspaper that children have been contacted by adults on “Roblox” asking them to send pictures. Have you been involved in it?