Tw; online grooming

Hi everyone,

I’m going to try to put some thoughts into words about something from my past that’s been coming back to me lately. It’s something I’ve never really talked about until now, and it feels a little messy, but I need to get it out.

When I was around 11 years old, I used to play a game called Roblox. I was a really creative kid—I loved making friends and expressing myself through roleplaying. For a while, it was just fun and harmless. Then I met someone a bit older through mutual friends in the game. He seemed friendly and we played together often, but things shifted.

He started bringing up topics that felt off to me, and eventually, he separated me from the group and introduced me to more mature forms of roleplaying. I didn’t understand what was happening at the time. He was my friend, so I trusted him. As time went on, these interactions became more frequent. Sometimes I didn’t want to go along with it, but he would insist. Because I trusted him, I didn’t really question it.

Eventually, I gave him some personal contact info so we could talk outside the game. We even used another app to continue chatting when I couldn’t play. His messages became increasingly inappropriate, though I didn’t fully understand that at the time. Looking back, I was naive—and far too young to be in those kinds of conversations.

Eventually, my mom found out. She called the authorities, and I got in a lot of trouble. I was grounded for months. I think at the time everyone was scared, and no one really explained what had happened or helped me process it.

Now that I’m older, the memories are resurfacing—and I’ve started realizing how deeply it affected me. Even though it happened online, it felt very real, and it left a lasting impact on my emotional well-being. For a long time, I questioned whether it even counted as something serious. But I’ve come to understand that it does.

I was taken advantage of. I see that clearly now. I’m thinking about seeking therapy, even though it feels strange to bring up something that happened so long ago and over the internet. But I know it still lives in me.

Thanks for reading. I just needed to say this out loud somewhere.