‘My daughter, 14, was groomed after meeting man on Roblox’
14-Year-Old’s Online Predicament Unveiled on Roblox
A parent from Greater Manchester has raised concerns about the safety of children on Roblox after her 14-year-old daughter was manipulated by a man she met in the virtual world. Carlo Tritta, now 19, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, was sentenced to two years and four months in prison for his actions. The teenager, who initially interacted with Tritta in September 2024 when he was 18, fell victim to a grooming campaign that led to her sharing explicit content.
Discovery of the Abuse
The mother’s shock came when she spotted a message on her daughter’s phone that hinted at a disturbing reality. “I said ‘Oh, who’s that?’ and she was crying and saying ‘Please don’t look at my phone, please don’t look at my phone’,” she recounted. “I just knew then that’s not her and I needed to see what was on this phone.” The messages revealed a collection of sexual images and videos, some of which were particularly alarming.
The mother described how Tritta had initially engaged her daughter in innocent conversation on the platform, building trust before shifting their communication to other services. He even sent her a secret phone and gifts to strengthen the connection. “She’d started talking to this person on Roblox for so long, nothing sinister, chit chat,” she said. The relationship quickly evolved into something more intense, trapping the girl in a cycle of control.
Roblox’s Response and Safety Measures
A Roblox representative expressed sorrow over the case, stating the platform was “committed to building safeguards designed to prevent that from happening.” The spokesperson highlighted that with over 144 million daily active users, cases of harm are rare but still significant. “Roblox requires all users to go through age checks to communicate on our platform, designed to limit interactions to similar-aged peers and known individuals,” they added.
Despite these measures, Tritta managed to exploit the system. The victim’s mother noted that he had access to her daughter’s passwords, allowing him to monitor her online activity and control her interactions. “He knew who she got the bus home with, he knew who her friends were,” she said. “He knew what activities she did outside of school. So he controlled everything she was doing and who was speaking to her online.”
Escalation and Consequences
The abuse escalated when Tritta broke his bail conditions, traveling 200 miles from Hampshire to the victim’s home. He tampered with the doorbell camera and entered the house, where he spoke to the mother about nightmares while she and her daughter were crafting Christmas cards. Tritta also sent the victim two cards, urging her to oppose the prosecution and report her family to authorities.
The mother described her daughter’s emotional state, saying she had been left feeling suicidal and struggling with sleep. “This was because she was stuck in this situation where he had passwords for all her social media,” she explained. “He knew who she got the bus home with, he knew who her friends were. He knew what activities she did outside of school. So he controlled everything she was doing and who was speaking to her online and things like that.” The mother emphasized the need for stricter protections on the platform, warning other parents about the risks.
