Child Safety Officer 

Hello Parents and Carers

For this week’s Child Safe article, I am repeating an article from late last year that I think is incredibly important.

As I move around the school, many of our students share with me what they have done on the weekend. I remain concerned about the number of our students who are regularly on the platform Roblox. To that end, I share again with you this information for your consideration.

I want to assure you that our concerns with regard to this platform are not just perceived concerns of things that we think might happen. We have very real Child Safe incidents that have occurred with our own students here at Leighland. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you require any more information.

Kind regards, Del

I am writing to you all today to alert you to concerns with regard to the game Roblox that a number of our students are playing.

Roblox is widely used by children and young people, offering thousands of interactive games and creative opportunities. While the platform can be enjoyable, it also includes several risks that families should be aware of: 

Key Risks on Roblox

1. Unfiltered User-Generated Content

Roblox games are created by users of all ages and skill levels. This means:

• Not all games are age-appropriate

• Some may include violence or frightening themes

• Game environments can change without warning

2. Inappropriate Interactions and Contact From Strangers

Roblox is a social platform where players interact through chat and cooperative gameplay. Risks include:

• Approaches from strangers

• Attempts to move children to private chats or other platforms

• Exposure to unkind language or online bullying

3. Scams, Phishing, and “Free Robux” Tricks

Children may be targeted by:

• Fake offers promising free Robux

• Links that attempt to steal account details

• Players pressuring them to share login information or personal details

These scams can lead to account loss or exposure to harmful content.

4. Pressure to Spend Money

Robux, the virtual currency, can be purchased with real money. Children may feel:

• Pressure to buy items to fit in with friends

• Tempted to make repeated purchases

• Upset if they lose items or accounts due to scams

Without supervision, spending can quickly add up.

5. Unsafe Private Game Spaces

Private servers or games with limited moderation can create spaces where:

• Inappropriate behaviour is more likely

• Children may interact with players who do not have good intentions

• Rules are less enforced than in public areas

I have personally dealt with quite a number of issues across the past few months where children have been exposed to very inappropriate content on this platform, and I would be very happy to discuss this further with you if you would like more information

I will finish the newsletter article with a quote from a recent article from Chanel 7 with respect to unsupervised access to this platform:

‘Allowing a child to play Roblox alone is the direct equivalent of a parent dropping their child off outside a Westfield Shopping Centre and saying: Off you go darling. You can go in there and be with whoever you want to be for the next hour.’

                                Kirra Pendergast: Safe on Social Founder and Online Safety Educator. 

Please do not hesitate to approach your campus Child Safe Officer if you would like more information on this platform.

Kind regards

Del Polden

Child Safety Officer – Burnie Campus