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THANK YOU to those families who registered for the Parent Webinar last week.
We have recorded the webinar event for you!
In case you missed the live webinar, or in case you would like to watch it again, here is the link to the replay video:
Parent & Carers Toolkit (all the info, links and resources from the webinar):
CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE TOOLKIT
Cybersafety webinars for Term 2 have been viewed.
Here are the Parent Tips sheets for discussion at home.
Update from Marty from Inform & Empower on Roblox
Roblox Introduces Real-World Shopping: What Parents & Caregivers Need to Know About This Major Shift
On May 15th 2025, Roblox, one of the most popular online platforms for children and teens, announced a groundbreaking new feature: real-world shopping integrated directly into its virtual environment.
On the surface, this might seem like just another product update. However, from a parenting and digital literacy perspective, it’s a much bigger deal that parents and caregivers need to be aware of.
Roblox has long been more than just a game. With over 97 million daily active users, many of them under the age of 13, it functions as a social playground, marketing ecosystem, and now a digital shopping mall, all rolled into one.
This new update, however, raises serious questions about the ethics of advertising, the commercialization of childhood, and how digital spaces are shaping our kid’s’ identities. While Roblox frames this new feature as a fun, immersive shopping experience, there’s also a financial story behind the rollout. Roblox's stock has been volatile. In early 2025, the company’s shares fell more than 20% following a disappointing Q4 2024 earnings report. Although the company generated $1.36 billion in bookings, it missed expectations and saw a drop in daily active users from 88.9 million to 85.3 million. In addition, Roblox posted a net loss of $221.1 million for the quarter and nearly $941 million in losses for the year. To recover, Roblox is investing in four key areas:- AI-Powered Content Discovery- Expanded Monetization through paid access and dynamic pricing- Advertising aimed at Gen Z and Gen Alpha- Real-world shopping, made possible through new platform features and Shopify integration.
For the millions of kids and teens on Roblox, this isn’t just about buying stuff online. It’s about how shopping, identity, and peer dynamics are blending into their online lives.With this update, young users can now:- Browse branded virtual storefronts- Purchase real-world products like clothes, makeup, toys and other trinkets without leaving Roblox- Receive exclusive digital avatar items as part of the purchase experience In short, shopping on Roblox is no longer about spending Robux on digital items. It’s now about real money, real brands, and real influence, all embedded into a space many parents still consider a game.
At The White Hatter, we emphasize that today’s youth don’t separate their online and offline lives. Their experiences on platforms like Roblox are very real emotionally, socially, and psychologically. This is why it matters when Roblox becomes a shopping mall. In the same way that clothing brands can affect a teen’s social status in the schoolyard, virtual fashion and branded digital items can affect how kids are perceived in digital communities.
A child's avatar is more than just a character, it’s often a reflection of their self-image, a tool for expression, and often a form of social capital. When kids see that certain avatars, accessories, or badges bring admiration or attention, it can drive desire for more purchases, not just to play, but to fit in, to belong, and to be seen. For brands, this is a marketing goldmine where gamified, immersive, peer-driven commerce can be targeted at impressionable audiences. But here’s the ethical concern, “where does play end and persuasion begin?” Children and teens are still developing cognitively and emotionally. Most cannot fully distinguish between content meant for entertainment and content designed to sell. Many parents and caregivers might not even be aware their child is being marketed to in real-time while building, chatting, or exploring in a Roblox world. This is why digital literacy and parental engagement are more critical than ever. The presence of real-world shopping in Roblox should signal a shift in responsibility. It’s no longer enough for brands to say they support mental health and inclusivity, they must act on those values, especially when engaging with youth and teens. Immersive marketing in a space where children play and grow carries ethical weight. Unfortunately, not every company is thinking about that. Some are chasing profit without thinking twice about the long-term developmental consequences for children and teens. Catch them early, and you can have a customer for life is often the ethos of these tech giants.
So, what can parents and caregivers do? Here’s how we at The White Hatter suggest you approach this development:- Talk to your child about how Roblox is changing: Explain that it’s now a place where real-world money can influence digital identity, and that advertisers are aware of this.- Ask your child how they feel about branded content: Help them reflect critically. Why do they want a certain avatar? Is it for fun, or to impress peers?- Monitor their spending habits: Ensure you know when and how money is being spent on the platform, and consider parental controls if necessary.- Teach them to question advertising: Equip them with the skills to recognize persuasive tactics and separate genuine interests from manipulated desire.- Consider creating a private Roblox server, where you can minimize the reach of these companies when your child is creatively building inside of Roblox. Roblox isn’t just a game anymore. It’s a space where identity, commerce, and community intersect, and it’s shaping how kids see themselves and each other.
The question now is, do you as a family want your child or early teen to have unsupervised access to this new way of business that Roblox has now introduced to increase their profit margin? This isn’t about fear. It’s about facts, education, and awareness. As platforms like Roblox evolve, so too must our parenting strategies. If your child plays on Roblox, now is the time to lean in, get informed, and help them navigate this new digital marketplace with confidence, resilience, and critical thinking. Let’s not wait until the lines between play and profit are so blurred that our kids can’t tell the difference.
Digital Food For ThoughtThe White HatterFacts Not Fear, Facts Not Emotions, Enlighten Not Frighten, Know Tech Not No Tech