‘My daughter, 14, was groomed after meeting man on Roblox’
Roblox Grooming Case: 14-Year-Old’s Mother Calls for Better Child Protection
A 14-year-old girl in Greater Manchester was manipulated into sharing explicit content with a man she met on Roblox, according to her mother. Carlo Tritta, 19, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, targeted the teenager in September 2024 when he was 18, eventually convincing her to believe they were in a romantic relationship. The mother described her emotional state as “shocked, bewildered, and really angry” upon discovering the extent of the abuse.
The Grooming Process
The victim initially engaged in casual conversations with Tritta on Roblox, a platform hosting 40 million user-generated games. Over time, their interactions shifted to private messaging, where Tritta professed affection and encouraged the girl to move communication to other services. He provided her with a secret phone and sent takeaways to her home, escalating the relationship’s intimacy.
“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’. I just knew then that’s not her and I needed to see what was on this phone.”
The mother revealed how she uncovered the abuse after noticing a troubling message on her daughter’s phone. “There were a lot of sexual images, videos, really bad ones,” she said. The girl, she claimed, had been left feeling suicidal and struggling with sleep, trapped in a situation where Tritta controlled her social media passwords and knew her daily routines.
Legal Consequences
Tritta was jailed for two years and four months after appearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court. He admitted to creating indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications, and causing the victim to watch explicit content. Additionally, he faced charges of intimidating a witness and causing criminal damage.
After the abuse was exposed, Tritta broke his bail conditions by traveling 200 miles from Hampshire to the victim’s home. He smashed the doorbell camera and entered the house, speaking to the mother about nightmares while she and her daughter were crafting Christmas cards and watching holiday TV. Tritta also sent two cards to the victim, urging her to oppose the prosecution and report her family to authorities.
Roblox’s Response
A Roblox spokesperson expressed sadness over the case, stating the platform was “committed to building safeguards to prevent such incidents.” They highlighted that over 144 million users access Roblox daily, with age checks designed to limit interactions to similar-aged users or known contacts. Safety measures include blocking image sharing and restricting chats for younger players.
“It’s dangerous – it needs to be watched,” the mother said. “It’s a kids’ game and adults are getting on there to groom children. So they need to do something about it. It should just be for kids. Not for adults to go on to groom.”
The mother emphasized the urgency for platforms to improve child protection, arguing that social media must take greater responsibility. She hopes to raise awareness among parents about the risks of their children interacting with strangers on such services, urging vigilance and stronger safeguards to prevent future harm.
