Right... I very very seriously doubt this guy was being abused by his parents.
You can debate the ethics of SOE having done what they did, but the guy was missing, he didn't tell anyone where he was going, and while yes he is a legal adult and can do what he likes, it's still irresponsible to not tell someone that you're leaving town or to atleast leave a note, you know 'cause people tend to worry when someone who normally doesn't do stuff like that just up and disappears...
They had no idea what happened to their son, for all they knew he was abducted, or hurt in an accident or dead. SOE had the possible resources to help track this guy down since he was a MMO gamer and give reassurances to the family that he was alive and well and they did that. Also, SOE did not give out the information to just anyone, they gave the information to people who needed it the most. His very worried parents - who by the way, already know all his personal information, they just needed his location.