During a late-night drive home from a joint session at the Georgia State House, Georgia State Representative Rob Clifton tuned into a Podcast that changed his life and ignited a passion to advocate for children’s safety online. “I turned on a Shawn Ryan podcast,” remembers Rob. "He was interviewing a young man who, at the age of 13 years old, encountered a predator on Roblox. He got away from them, started counseling, and eventually made it his life's mission to make the platform safer.”
As Rob listened to the young man’s story, he grew more and more frustrated to hear how uncooperative the online platforms were as the young man and law enforcement attempted to make it a safer online environment. “After I turned the podcast off, I spent the next 30 minutes just praying,” shares Rob. “I said, ‘Lord, this is what I'm moving towards focusing on this year. If this is not what you have for me, remove this from my heart’. The desire to help and to expose what's going on has only grown from there.”
Rob introduced a resolution to create a study committee and the Georgia House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on the Impact of Online Platforms on Georgia Youth was formed. Rob was appointed committee chair to oversee the initiative. This year, the committee is focused on gathering information and educating legislators and parents about the risks associated with online platforms with the intent of introducing legislation in 2027 to hold online platforms accountable.
“I want parents to understand that just because your kid is alone in a room playing Roblox does not mean they're alone in a room, because they're not,” explains Rob. “When parents take their kids to the playground, they may not hover around their kids, but they are typically keeping an eye out with what's going on with their kids. Roblox is the biggest playground in the world with 140 million daily active users, and it’s only one of the online gaming platforms. While the number of predators on these platforms is astounding, we're putting our kids in these rooms, at these playgrounds, and we're just saying, ‘Go have fun and we're not watching or looking at anything.’”
Part of the committee’s education effort is holding meetings throughout the state of Georgia to gather educators, law enforcement, AI experts, parents, and students to share their knowledge and experiences. Meetings are being held in Atlanta, Macon, Augusta, and Savannah. “We want to get as much information out there as possible because many parents think this isn't going to happen to me or my kid,” says Rob. “The reality is that many kids are approached online by someone they don't know and receive inappropriate or explicit content. We want to explain to parents some of the pitfalls and let them hear from some of the people who have interacted with this in hopes they will change that mindset of ‘it won’t happen to me.’”
Based on the information he has already gathered, Rob says there are several things parents can do right now to protect their children. First, he recommends getting kids off online gaming platforms until the platforms put policies in place to actively protect children. Secondly, he recommends that parents know what apps their children have on devices then research and remove apps commonly known to be used by predators to communicate with kids. Third is to have open dialogue with kids about online safety. “When you talk to your kids about these situations, you need to be very tactful in how you do it. If you just say, ‘have you seen this?’, they're going to shut down,” he explains. “Try to ask leading questions so that you get a real answer from them. Start by asking them which one is their favorite game and what they like about it. Get them talking about what they’re doing online.”
Fourth, Rob recommends that parents stay involved, research the issue by reading articles and listening to podcasts, and initiate conversations with others. “Parents have the right to make their own decisions,” he explains. “But I would seriously look at what you are allowing and make sure you have as many limiting factors possible if you do decide you want to continue to move forward with you child gaming online. Again, this is for the benefit of your child's safety. If they are on it for any amount of time, most of them are going to interact with someone that has ill intent for them.”
To join the conversation about online safety for children, plan to attend the committee’s meeting to be held in Augusta this fall. For resources, updates, and details on the Augusta meeting time and location, follow the Rob Clifton For State House Facebook page or email rob.clifton@house.ga.gov.
Rob Clifton is a husband, father to three children, CEO of Clifton Construction, and a member of the Georgia House of Representatives. He serves as the Chair of the Georgia House Blue-Ribbon Study Committee on the Impact of Online Platforms on Georgia Youth.