The narrator introduces Alex, a 10-year-old obsessed with Roblox's Adopt Me, whose poor family shares one old iPad governed by a strict kitchen timer that makes him shake with anger.
When his younger brother grabs the iPad and cancels a trade for a rare neon flying dragon, Alex throws a toy car that smashes the TV, then fake-cries and blames his brother, who gets locked in his room.
After being bullied at school, Alex steals his mom's blue Visa card at night to buy thousands of Robux, then plants the card under his brother's pillow, so the parents lock the iPad in a kitchen cabinet and Alex begins wishing his brother gone.
On a family trip to the city zoo, while the parents buy water, Alex pushes his brother over the wooden rail into the gorilla pit, where the silverback attacks him and he dies.
Three days after Alex gets the iPad to himself, two detectives arrive with a teenage girl's zoo video showing the push; Alex is handcuffed, confesses, and is sent to a juvenile detention center with no iPad.
Brief overview
A cautionary tale: ten-year-old Alex's obsession with Roblox Adopt Me leads him to kill his brother.
Obsession with a screen escalates from lies to murderAlex's anger over sharing the iPad grows from blaming his brother for the TV to pushing him into the gorilla pit.
Every lie lands on the innocent younger brotherThe brother is locked in his room for the TV and yelled at for hours over the Visa card he never touched.
The truth surfaces anyway and costs everythingA stranger's social media video exposes the push, and Alex loses his family, freedom and game in a cold concrete cell.
Questions this recording answers
7 questions, each answered where it is said
Who is Alex and why did he fight over the iPad?
Alex is a 10-year-old whose life revolves around Roblox, especially Adopt Me, where he loves rare pets and big houses. His poor family has one old iPad he must share with his younger brother, and a strict kitchen timer makes him hand it over, which makes him angry.
What happened when Alex's trade for the neon flying dragon was ruined?
When the timer beeped, his brother grabbed the iPad, the screen hit cancel and the trade vanished. Alex threw a heavy plastic toy car at his brother, who ducked, and it broke the living room TV. Alex fake-cried and blamed his brother, who was locked in his bedroom.
Why did Alex steal his mom's credit card?
After three older bullies pushed him, dumped his books in mud and punched him, Alex felt weak and wanted to feel strong in Adopt Me. Having zero money, he took his mom's blue Visa card at night and bought thousands of Robux for premium houses and legendary pets.
How did Alex avoid being caught for the stolen money?
When his dad got a bank text about the missing money and started screaming, Alex slipped the Visa card under his brother's pillow. Dad found it there and yelled at the younger brother for hours, and nobody believed him. The parents then locked the iPad in a kitchen cabinet.
What happened during the family trip to the zoo?
While the parents bought water, the younger brother leaned over the wooden rail above the gorilla pit. Seeing nobody watching, Alex pushed him over. The brother fell and broke his leg, the silverback gorilla attacked, and the guards could not save him. Alex pretended it was an accident.
How was the truth about the brother's death discovered?
Three days after Alex got the iPad to himself, two police detectives visited. A teenage girl filming social media video on the bridge across from the pit had accidentally recorded everything, showing Alex look around and push his brother over the edge, which his parents watched in horror.
What happened to Alex in the end?
A detective handcuffed Alex and took him to the police station, where after hours he admitted everything. The judge sent him to a strict juvenile detention center for a very long time, in a cold concrete cell with no TV, internet or iPad. He lost his family, freedom and game.
Key Quote
“Imagine playing Adopt Me on an old iPad could ruin your life.”
— Narrator
Key Quote
“It is my turn! Give it to me right now!”
— Narrator
Key Quote
“He hated feeling weak more than anything in the whole world.”