Although these platforms encourage kids to play with their friends online, they can make conversations between vulnerable children and predatory adults a reality.

Richard Servello, director of the Blair County Children’s Advocacy Center, is advising local parents to monitor children’s online activity within gaming platforms that can introduce them to online predator groups, such as The Community and the 764.

The FBI has estimated that thousands of people, including minors, are involved in varying amounts with The Com.

The group’s main focus, Servello said, is coercing children into participating in destructive behaviors.

This screenshot shows a game in Roblox chat. Child safety experts say parents and guardians should routinely check in with children — and their phones — once a week, and put limits on applications that could expose them to predators. Altoona Mirror illustration

Keeping secrets

Becoming secretive about online actions and relationships can be an example of destructive behavior in children, according to Enough is Enough CEO Donna Hughes.

“Parents need to monitor where their kids are going,” both digitally and in the real world, she said.

Cases of predatory adults can happen locally, too.

In January 2022, a 40-year-old California man drove across the country to meet his 14-year-old online girlfriend.

Don A. Robison virtually met the Altoona teen on Roblox after giving her a motorcycle ride and pretending to be a domestic couple inside a house in the game.

Robison then told the girl that he was 12 or 13 years old and sent her an image of himself — altered to appear younger — to seal the deal.

After he arrived in Altoona, he climbed into the girl’s house via the second-story window, staying the night unbeknownst to the girl’s mother.

Two years after his arrest, Robison was found guilty by a Hollidaysburg jury in February 2025, convicting him of predatory sexual offenses.

It is unclear whether Robinson acted alone or with online predatory groups such as The Community or the 764, but their attack methods are similar.

To target vulnerable children, the FBI stated that The Com will use “minor-friendly applications” to “indoctrinate (children) into their ideology.”

Age verification is not required for applications such as Roblox, Minecraft and Discord, so it’s a “dream come true” for online predators like the 764, Hughes said.

Due to advanced technology, Servello said these groups are getting better at hiding, “which is why it’s getting harder to investigate.”

To combat this issue, Altoona Police Department Det. Eric Heuston said parents and guardians should routinely check in with children — and their phones — once a week, and put limits on applications.

“There is no reason why a kid should have an app that can delete chats,” he said, referencing Snapchat’s messaging abilities.

He also highly recommends one app — Life 360, an application that can track a child’s location in case they sneak out to meet an online predator, Heuston said.

Harming oneself

Parents and guardians should look out for sudden changes in behavior and appearance, Servello said.

With The Com, some minors are coerced into sextortion, which is when a predator threatens to reveal sensitive material in exchange for sexual favors or money.

On the other side, predators convince minors to record themselves killing animals or starting fights in school in exchange for digital currency on Roblox or Minecraft.

“They’ve coerced some kids into suicide,” Servello said.

A 15-year-old boy took his own life in 2024 after being groomed and coerced into sending explicit images through Roblox and Discord, according to NBC News.

With parental approval and controls in place, Ethan Dallas began to play on Roblox at 9 years old.

Roblox defines itself as the “ultimate virtual universe” where players can be whatever they imagine.

According to Roblox, more than 77 million people use the gaming platform daily.

At 12 years old, Dallas was befriended by an online predator pretending to be a child. While the conversations started as innocent, they eventually turned explicit and sexual.

The man then coerced Dallas into turning off parental controls and continuing their conversations through Discord instead.

Over time, the man increasingly demanded explicit photos on Discord, and if Dallas didn’t comply, the man threatened that he would share those images.

Out of fear, Dallas agreed, sending more photos. He committed suicide in April 2024.

Between 25% to 30% of Blair County minors said online relationships with The Com members begin over Snapchat or Facebook Messenger, which will then lead to some sort of exploitation, according to Servello.

Because these interactions are online-based, Heuston said parents and guardians will never know unless they actively check in with their child.

A parent of a young teen may dismiss Roblox as an innocent video game, Heuston said. They won’t know what could be happening in those chat rooms.

“Your child predators aren’t driving in scary vans,” Heuston said. “They’re on the internet pretending to be something they’re not to start and develop a relationship to exploit a child for sexual exploitation or financial exploitation.”

Chronically online

Almost half of teenagers say they’re online almost “constantly,” using social media applications such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat the most, according to the Pew Research Center.

As a result, Hughes said too much screen time and too little sleep can constitute examples of destructive behavior to watch out for in children and teens.

While online, kids can stumble across explicit Roblox games.

A Central Ohio mom recently voiced her concern about Roblox’s sexually explicit content on WSYX ABC 6.

In early November, Brittany Griffith told the news station that her 15-year-old daughter stumbled into a Roblox game titled “Grow a Veiny Dih!” with screenshots of players carrying male genitalia. Another game referenced a rose toy, an adult toy.

Griffith’s daughter also encountered inappropriate chat messages while playing the game.

“There’s a lot of predators out there, and it was just something I kept thinking about,” she told WSYX.

Heuston said online predators are not new to the internet.

Predators have accessed MySpace and Facebook in the past, but now they use Snapchat to converse with minors behind a screen.

“Kids try to get away from their parents,” Heuston said, adding that in a few years, kids will interact with online predators on another platform as technology advances.

Creating awareness

To educate the public, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children developed Netsmartz presentations, which are designed to teach children, teens and adults about internet safety.

Speaking up during these presentations can create a “two-lane conversation between caregivers and children,” Servello said.

No matter how terrible a situation might be, Hughes said, conversations can help children understand that they can speak to a parent or guardian.

Other practices can include switching on parental controls, watching a child’s digital footprint and stopping the use of technology behind closed doors.

Looking for alternative devices, Heuston said flip phones can do the trick because children can still talk and text without applications.

No matter the devices kids use, online safety awareness is always important to understand and practice, Hughes said.

“Kids are online every day, and when they’re connected to the internet, they have the good, the bad and all of the dangerous people,” she said.

While today’s technology is evolving, Servello said awareness is key in navigating online situations involving predators.

If adults stay informed, children have a better chance of avoiding traumatic events, he said.

Mirror Staff Writer Colette Costlow is at 814-946-7414.

Know the signs

Potential warning signs in youth, according to thrive.psu.edu

— Changes in eating habits

— Withdrawal or isolation

— Changes in friendships

— Sleep difficulties, nightmares or bed wetting

— Mood changes, such as hopelessness, anger, irritability and violent outbursts

— Separation anxiety

Potential warning signs in teens, according to thrive.psu.edu

— Withdrawal or isolation

— Disrespect or rejection of family values

— Lying

— Extreme mood swings

— Alcohol, drug or tobacco use

— Diminished interest in activities or hobbies