A Utah mom says that her son accessed a controversial game entitled Five Nights at Epstein’s on a school computer, according to a report.
The online game appears to be an imitation of the popular Five Nights at Freddy’s franchise, in which players defend themselves against killer animatronics.
However, in Five Nights at Epstein’s, players must evade the convicted pedophile himself and others named in the Epstein files, according to ABC 4. The game also uses real images released by the Justice Department from the disgraced financier’s home on Little Saint James.
Michelle Martinez told ABC 4 that she first heard about the game when her son mentioned it. According to her, he had accessed the game while at school.
Martinez said that she avoided asking her son further questions about Five Nights at Epstein’s because she had yet to have a discussion with him about the sex offender.
“I hadn’t had the conversation with him yet, or talked to him about situations like that yet,” she told the network. “It absolutely disgusts me and breaks my heart that our children are subject to this, especially in this day and age.”
In a statement to ABC 4, the Granite School District said it blocked a website that allowed users to access the game after a complaint was made in February.
“The district does not believe this game is being widely accessed at our schools,” the statement continued. “Regardless, we are committed to ensuring appropriate internet use in our schools, and we have a variety of safeguards in place.”
However, Martinez says that school districts need to do more to stop students from accessing similar websites.
“I just hope that the district or districts will figure out a way to put a stop to this so that we can protect our children just a little bit more,” she said.
The Wake County Public School System in North Carolina told CBS 17 earlier this month that it has also blocked the game on its computers.
Jeff Trower, whose son played the game, told the station that he thought Five Nights at Epstein’s was “sickening.”
“I definitely didn’t even know that he was playing anything like that,” he added, referring to his son. “I definitely would’ve been a little more restrictive on something like that.”
Dr. Stephanie Marcello, the chief psychologist at Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care, told News 12 that parents concerned about the game should calmly talk to their children about it.
“Say to them, ‘tell me what that actually means, what is it that you have heard, what do you think that you’re actually saying, how come you think that’s funny,’” she said. “Because what you’ll often find is they really don’t actually know.”
The Independent has contacted the Granite School District for comment.
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