Episode 6 – Discord: When the Conversation Leaves the Game

Discord is one of the fastest-growing platforms in the world — a space where kids hang out, game, study, and connect. But behind the servers and voice chats, predators know how to exploit its features to groom, coerce, and trade illicit material.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, Sean Lacy takes you inside the world of Discord: what it is, how it works, why it’s so attractive to teens, and how offenders use it to target kids. We share a case where a 10-year-old with a “locked down” Roblox account was still contacted through Discord, offered Robux in exchange for explicit content, and messaged by offenders from around the world — all hidden in a single laptop.

Episode 5- Roblox: Building Worlds, Facing Risks

Roblox is one of the most popular games in the world, with over 70 million daily users—most of them children. Parents see it as creative and safe, but predators see it as an entry point.

In this episode of Chasing Shadows, host Sean Lacy unpacks a case involving a 10-year-old girl whose mother thought Roblox’s parental controls would protect her. Instead, predators bypassed those settings by following her into another app. You’ll hear how the situation unfolded, how Roblox’s systems work, and what risks parents need to watch for.

We’ll also break down the difference between normal and parental-controlled accounts, explain Roblox’s safety features, and discuss why they don’t close every door. With 24,522 CyberTipline reports filed by Roblox in 2024, the dangers are real—and parents need to know how to respond.

Chasing Shadows is about case studies, awareness, and practical tools. Because filters can help, but your best defense is knowledge.

Episode 5 – Roblox: Building Worlds, Facing Risks

Shadow Debrief #1: The Chatroom Admin

In this Chasing Shadows: Shadow Debrief, Sean Lacy takes listeners inside a North Carolina case that exposes one of the most dangerous positions online — the chatroom administrator.

Twenty-four-year-old Nicholas Tyler Banks wasn’t just a participant in an illegal chat group. He was the gatekeeper — approving new members, distributing child sexual abuse material, and controlling the very space where exploitation thrived.

In this episode, Sean breaks down how these hidden chatrooms work, why “admins” hold so much influence, and how law enforcement tracks the digital footprints they leave behind. He also offers insight into what parents need to understand about modern chatrooms — from Discord servers to gaming platforms — and how to recognize the warning signs of online predatory behavior.