BOSTON — Online predators are reaching children through their favorite screens, and even the most vigilant parents are finding it harder to keep their kids safe.
But there are proactive steps parents can take. Police and child advocacy groups say it begins with two things: knowing which games your children are playing and who they're playing with.
At the Reeves’ house, the girls like to play games online, and talk with other players about how to win the game.
But it doesn't take long before the fun turns scary. Another online player stops talking about the game -- and begins talking about the girls themselves.
"They said 'you're cute' and 'I said ew gross,'" said Gwendolyn Reeves.
Her sister, Isabella, had a similar experience - "this person he asked, 'would you like to go out?'"
"There was a sinking feeling in the bottom of my stomach," said mom Marybeth Reeves.
Reeves thought she and her husband had done everything to protect their four girls from online danger. They monitored their accounts, their user names weren't their real names, and they could only play age-appropriate games like ones found on the Roblox site.
"I thought they were pretty protected, I didn't realize we weren't," said Reeves.
How predators target children online
Investigators tell Boston 25 News, pedophiles prey on children using subtle techniques to gain their confidence and lure them in.
"We've worked cases where people have talked children into doing things in front of their webcams, that they parents walk in and they are horrified when they discover," said Sky Valley Georgia Police Chief Vaughn Estes.
Active parenting can help protect children
Experts say being an active parent is the first line of defense to protect your child.
Talking to your children and monitoring their gaming is key to keeping children safe, so when someone does say something inappropriate, they'll speak up like the Reeves girls did.
Eliza Harrell with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children says parents need to understand the safety features involved with their children's favorite online games.
Ways for children & parents to report abuse
Roblox, the site the Reeves girls use, lets parents choose who the kids can chat with online and allows children to report abuse when they see it.
“We just have to try to educate them as much as possible. You know, keeping them in the dark is not going to help them," said Reeves.
Law enforcement and gaming experts say it's extremely important to report abuse or inappropriate activity, that way they can do something about it. For instance Roblox can block and ban users, and they can report to the local police and FBI.
You can report concerns to safety@roblox.com and the site says it will investigate reports within five minutes. They also implemented a “no chat” option for parents this year, and have no reports of kids being contacted after that setting is chosen.
Cox Media Group
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