Yes, but it had to be done.

[ He thinks a moment on how to tell this story in a kid-friendly way. ]

My stepfather was...an evil man. The digital world was his creation, and he planned to use it to take over the internet and hijack peoples' bodies. My stepbrother was there too, originally conspiring with him...but my brother helped him break out, and my stepbrother sacrificed himself to keep my stepfather from escaping.

I've built similar, less potent tech to keep the same thing from happening again...but a full-scale world is too dangerous.