Behind Your Child’s Screen in Casablanca, a Predator Is Playing With Them
In 2024, Morocco’s Royal Gendarmerie handled over 1,200 reported cases of online abuse involving minors — up 40% from 2022 (DGSSI, Annual Report 2024). Among the most cited platforms: Roblox, TikTok, and WhatsApp. Morocco is not immune to the digital risks threatening children worldwide.
Grooming: definition and reality in Morocco
Grooming is the process by which a malicious adult progressively builds a relationship of trust with a child in order to exploit them — sexually, financially, or to recruit them into illegal activities. This process can last weeks to months before anything explicitly abusive occurs.
In Morocco, several factors amplify this risk:
- Children’s device access: according to ANRT, 84% of Moroccan teenagers access the internet daily, often on personal devices without supervision
- Lack of formal digital education: no emotional cybersecurity module is integrated into the national school curriculum
- The cultural silence barrier: Moroccan children are less likely to report abuse to parents for fear of punishment or shame
Roblox as an entry point: the Moroccan case
Roblox is particularly popular among 8-14 year olds in Morocco, often introduced by cousins or classmates. The platform allows real-time exchanges with strangers worldwide. Predators use French or Arabic profiles to specifically target Moroccan children, sometimes exploiting local cultural references to establish false rapport.
How grooming progresses in 4 stages
- Identification — The predator identifies an active, accessible child showing signs of loneliness or attention-seeking.
- Connection — They make an innocent first contact: help in a game, a friendly comment on a video.
- Trust — Over weeks, they become the close friend, confidant, sometimes the virtual “older sibling.” They move the conversation to private messaging outside supervision.
- Exploitation — They request photos, personal information, or involve the child in compromising activities.
The legal rights of Moroccan children online
Morocco has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which protects minors against all forms of exploitation including digital. Law 09-08 on personal data protection provides a framework, and the Moroccan Penal Code criminalises sexual exploitation of minors including via the internet. In cases of abuse, parents can contact the National Judicial Police Brigade (BNPJ) or report via the DGSSI platform.
5 measures every Moroccan family can take today
- Install Roblox on a shared family device, not on the child’s personal device
- Enable communication restrictions in child account settings
- Create a weekly ritual discussing the child’s online activities
- Explain the gift rule: any adult offering value to an unknown child wants something in return
- Train your child via platforms like Cyber Sqool, which offers modules adapted to the Moroccan context in French and Arabic
