Claire Sweeney has warned parents about the dangers of Roblox after her seven-year-old son was targeted by hackers.

The former Brookside star took to social media to explain that children could easily be the victims of hackers while playing the online game.

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Sweeney wrote: "Parents out there, anyone’s kids play Roblox? Yesterday my son was playing, and I saw on the chat in the corner, someone was asking him to go to my purse, take out my credit card and read the numbers."

She added: "Roblox seems a dangerous place for kids. Thankfully he told me!"

In a later tweet replying to Jeremy Vine, Sweeney also said the potential hackers "said they knew everything about him, his age, name etc".

Other parents also offered Sweeney tips about how to keep her son safe while online with one commenting: "You can disable unknown people contacting you by selecting settings, then privacy and then go to 'chat', click the arrow at the end, then 'friends only' in the chat and then 'save'. Hope this helps! I do find it a worry too!"

The game, which was founded in 2006, claims to be the largest social gaming platform in the world and allows users to create their own games and play those made by others.

The game is free to play but does feature in-app purchases using a digital currency.

Roblox has been criticised for its safety policies with the NSPCC and Childline reporting a five-fold increase in concerns since early 2020.

There have been reports of children being scammed, being exposed to inappropriate material and young girls being sexually harassed.

In a statement, Roblox said: "Community safety and ensuring an appropriate and fun experience for our users are top priorities at Roblox. Inappropriate content or behaviour that violates our Terms of Use is not acceptable."

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