The disappearance of a 12-year-old girl after connecting with a man through the Free Fire game has sparked concern. According to the girl’s mother, Maria Patrícia Melo de Menezes, her daughter began communicating with a man she met through the game shortly before she went missing.
The teen vanished on July 6th and was found in São Bernardo do Campo (SP), at the home of an 18-year-old man. She returned to Santos (SP) on Friday and gave a statement with her mother to the Civil Police. The girl stated she had not suffered any violent crime.
What is Free Fire?
According to Garena Free Fire’s website, it’s a mobile online battle royale game “designed to provide players with a pleasant social experience.” Anyone can download it, with a rating of 12+ on the App Store and 14+ on Google Play. Is it really safe?
While attempts to contact the company were unsuccessful, a FAQ section on their website addresses several concerns about minors using the app.
Is Free Fire Safe for Kids?
The company states it’s committed to providing a positive, secure, and enjoyable experience for all Free Fire players.
“As stated in our Terms of Service, players who have not reached the age of majority (children) must seek parental consent before registering to play,” they affirm. Are they really enforcing it?
Who Can Contact Minors?
According to the company, users can communicate with players they have added to their friends list and can also talk during the game. However, warnings are issued to parents and guardians.
- Ensure that minors under your care understand they should never share personal or identifying information.
- They must not share passwords or login details with anyone.
- Encourage them to be cautious when communicating with anyone they meet online.
- Never reveal private information.
What to Do About Inappropriate Communication?
Garena advises users to report any inappropriate behaviour through in-game reporting features, social media platforms, or by sending details to the support page.
“We respond to all reports and take action whenever necessary, including banning players from our game. Any accounts we believe have been used for illegal, fraudulent, offensive, defamatory, threatening, or abusive purposes may be referred to law enforcement,” they stated.
Police Investigation
The teenager and her mother provided statements to the Civil Police in Santos. Delegate Thiago Nemi Bonametti, head of the 3rd Police Station for Homicide Investigations, recounted what the minor said in her statement to the authorities.
“She, in principle, does not allege any violent crime, nothing more serious. However, there is the legal circumstance, which is her age, a matter of law where it is presumed that children under 14 years cannot have affective relationships,” the delegate explained.
Where to Get Support?
According to him, the girl was referred to the municipality’s health services to ensure that nothing more serious had happened to her. The city’s Women’s Defence Police Station (DDM) will continue the investigations.
“[He] must be heard to clarify what happened, to give his version of events. His family as well, because they knew the girl was there, so why did they do nothing more?” said the delegate.
How did she go?
Bonametti said a family member of the man allegedly picked up the girl and took her to his house. Police don’t yet know if he was with them, but said the teenager went spontaneously. “It was consensual, despite her being practically a child, technically a teenager.”
“She went because she wanted to, obviously some circumstances have to be verified exactly. She doesn’t have the will yet, she can’t decide about everything in her life yet, but she wanted to go. She wasn’t forced to go, just as when she wanted to return, she returned,” the delegate added.
Audio a Day Before Appearance
- “Mom, I’m fine, okay? No need to worry. On the 23rd, I’ll be home.”
- “Everything is fine, I’m at a friend’s house, no need to worry.”
- “I won’t have WhatsApp anymore, I’m going to uninstall WhatsApp there.”
- “Oh, and the boy just called me here, kept calling me all night, asking where I was, that you were messaging him. He’s here, see, telling me to go home. But I don’t want to.”
- “On the 23rd, I’ll be home, Mom. And stop messaging him, because I’m not with him. I’m with my friend. And he keeps calling me here, he’s bothering me today.”
- “I’m fine. No need to worry, your daughter is fine, okay?”
Family Problems?
According to Delegate Bonametti, the girl had been living with her mother for 15 days, who has shared custody with the grandmother. According to him, the fact that the teenager left home may indicate family problems that need to be resolved.
For the investigation, it is not yet confirmed that the minor met the boy through the online game. “The mother says that, but we are not sure because she already had his WhatsApp contact as ‘sweetheart’. We don’t know exactly how they met,” Bonametti said.
What was she wearing?
The teenager was wearing black clothes and carrying a backpack on her back, as well as her cell phone and a white bag in her hands. In the video, she appears walking quickly.
At one point, the girl looks back while walking, as if she had seen something. However, she soon looks forward again and continues her journey. In another part of the images, the teenager appears to be using her cell phone while walking.
