Online Safety Hub
OnlineSafety Hub
The Hub includes expert advice on the most pertinent cyber safety issues and frequently asked questions around platforms like TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more. There are app reviews with age and safety recommendations, a range of guides and resources to help ensure healthy boundaries around screen time and gaming, and step-by-step instructions for using parental controls and filtering out inappropriate content.
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Is Roblox safe for kids? An app safety guide for parents
Is there a parent in the world who hasn’t heard of Roblox?
The gaming platform has upward of 80 million daily users and has solidified itself as a firm kid favorite. The simple and colorful graphics, addictive gameplay, and limitless creative possibilities add up to make Roblox a huge hit with children everywhere.
According to our latest Annual Data Report, 1 in every 2 kids use Roblox (making it the most popular app overall) and spend an average of 2 hours 10 minutes daily playing and creating games on the platform.
Although Roblox has good points, there are safety issues that parents need to be aware of. We’ve shared some of the big ones along with 7 tips for keeping your child safe while they have fun in the Roblox universe.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is an online gaming platform and app that allows users to play and create games, or experiences as they’re referred to on the platform. Users can choose to play open-world games created by others or create their own using the building tool, Roblox Studio. Although Roblox itself and some games are free, many are pay-to-play or encourage users to make in-game purchases with Robux, the game’s own virtual currency.
Each Roblox user is represented by an avatar – a character that can be customized with free and purchasable body parts, accessories, clothing, and much more.
It might seem like Roblox is a recent addition to the digital world, but it’s been around for quite a while. The first incarnation of Roblox was released in 2006, making it older than the iPhone and an antique in technological terms. The platform had a relatively small following for years until its popularity exploded in the late 2010s and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. While their parents were Zooming, kids were whiling away lockdowns around the world by playing, creating, and chatting to their friends on Roblox.
Why do kids like Roblox?
“Like” might be an understatement. Obsessed may be more accurate.
The pandemic drew a lot of kids to Roblox as the games entertained and allowed them to socialize with their friends when real-life interactions were impossible. Parents would connect with other parents to arrange gaming sessions for their little ones, relieved knowing their kids could keep up their social connections during a difficult time.
Along with the cute Lego-like characters and colourful worlds, there are several possible reasons Roblox has become such a hit among kids.
- It’s very social. Games can be places for your child to hang out and chat with their friends.
- Kids can enjoy open-ended play. As a “sandbox game”, Roblox allows the player to explore the game environment freely – without being constrained to achieving specific objectives.
- It’s a creative outlet. Kids love being able to customize their avatars, build houses, and even create games on Roblox.
- It has Adopt Me! This multi-player game within the Roblox universe is hugely popular with kids as they spend hours adopting, trading, raising, and caring for virtual pets – from cats and dogs to dragons and unicorns.
- It’s just fun. Some games require teamwork and creative thinking, whereas others lie on the “silly fun” end of the spectrum. Either way, Roblox is a super-engaging and creative outlet for kids.
What’s the age rating for Roblox?
Generally speaking, Roblox doesn’t have a minimum age for its users – instead, each game has a recommended age guideline. Games can be suitable for All Ages, 9+, 13+, and 17+. For 17+ games, the user must verify their age by uploading a selfie and a photo of their government-issued ID.
While Roblox allows users of all ages to play, and chat with others on the platform, the App Store gives Roblox a 12+ rating while Google Play Store recommends Parental Guidance. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that provides age-based media reviews to families, rates Roblox as suitable for users aged 13+.
Without an official age rating or verification requirements, there’s nothing stopping children of any age from playing games, joining groups, and chatting with others online.
Does Roblox have parental controls?
Yes, but they probably aren’t enough.
Roblox allows parents to set up account restrictions for their child that can only be changed once a parent PIN is entered – if one is set. Here, you have safety options to prevent your child from being added to servers, disable chat with strangers, turn off the camera, and more. You can also set monthly spending limits so your child doesn’t blow the family savings on Robux.
When logged in, parents can also see their child’s activity on Roblox, such as their friends and followers; chat and private messages; and purchase history.
While it’s great that Roblox has parental control features, they’re not mandatory and kids can simply create an account and start playing without restrictions. And if you do set restrictions, kids can change them if you haven’t linked your email and set a parental PIN.
For users under 13, Roblox automatically applies stricter settings, but your child can change these if you haven’t set a PIN. Your child can also get around these stricter settings by falsifying their date of birth when creating the account.
Is Roblox safe for kids?
With over half of all 7-9-year-olds playing, it’s not surprising that parents of young children are concerned about the safety aspects of Roblox – and they should be.
After spending time on Roblox and speaking to other parents about their kids’ experiences on the platform, here are the main safety concerns we think you should be aware of.
Potential for adult-child interactions
Like with most multi-player gaming platforms, Roblox users can send messages and chat to others in-game as well as on the Roblox app or website. So without taking safety measures, your child could connect with sexual predators, groomers, sextortionists, and other dangerous users.
Roblox acknowledges the importance of keeping adults away from kids and has features to help prevent it.
- All chat on Roblox is filtered to prevent personally identifiable information from being visible.
- Chat is monitored by humans to spot attempts to lure a user to another chat platform.
- Parents can set up restrictions on chat that can be secured with a parental PIN.
- If your child is under 13, Roblox claims to make “it extremely difficult for strangers to contact them” by imposing stricter measures on chat and restricting voice chat.
Despite these measures, people with bad intentions will always find ways to get into kids’ chats – and there are plenty of devastating stories about the consequences.
“Condos” and inappropriate content
One of Roblox’s main appeals is the freedom a user has to create games, avatar clothing, and more – but on the flip side, this means young players can encounter things a parent wouldn’t want them to.
Despite Roblox having rules and making efforts to moderate user-generated content, plenty slips through the cracks. Examples include games featuring simulated sex acts, graphic violence, and bad language.
The worst of this takes place in “condos” – basically sex-based games that blatantly violate Roblox’s terms of service. Condos are where users go to talk about sex and to simulate sex via their avatars. According to the BBC, “much of what is written on chats in condos is unprintable on a grown-up news website, let alone a children’s game.”
Condos are usually only discoverable for a short time, often less than an hour, as the Roblox team plays whack-a-mole trying to remove them as new ones appear.
Online dating
Roblox isn’t a dating platform and its rules prohibit chat that’s sexual in nature, but that doesn’t stop ODers (online daters) from using games such as MeepCity to find romantic partners.
While most ODers are just looking to connect with other ODers, knowing that adults are using Roblox for this purpose is a red flag for any parent.
In-app purchases
Roblox is free to download and use. The platform makes its money by selling Robux which users can spend on games, clothing and accessories for their avatars, and more.
Some kids have become big spenders on the platform – without their parents knowing. There are stories from all over the world of parents discovering monster credit card bills thanks to their Roblox-loving kids.
Scams
Scams are rife in most corners of the internet and Roblox is no exception. On Roblox, scammers often exploit the naivety of children to con them out of Robux or gain access to their accounts and personal information.
There are several sophisticated scams to be aware of, including “free Robux”. This is when a user is promised Robux in exchange for completing surveys, clicking on links, or sharing personal information. Players give away sensitive information or access to their accounts for Robux that never materialize.
Trading scams are also common. For example, a scammer might offer a high-value item for several lower-value ones, only to swap the item for a worthless one at the last minute.
Gaming addiction
On average, kids spend over 2 hours daily on Roblox – but some are clocking up many more.
Around 2% of children and adolescents are considered to be addicted to gaming – and yes, gaming addiction is a real thing. Health organizations have officially recognized the condition Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a pattern of excessive and compulsive gaming behavior that leads to significant impairment or distress.
Roblox’s creativity, challenge, novelty, strong social aspect, and in-game purchases hammer that dopamine release button and keep kids coming back for more.
7 ways to make Roblox safer for your child
Roblox’s popularity isn’t going away any time soon – and despite the potential dangers, the platform offers kids valuable opportunities to play, create, and hang out with their friends.
If your child is a Robloxian, or you’re considering allowing your child to play, here are 7 ways to help make their Roblox experience a safe and happy one.
1. Show an interest
Talk to your child about their favorite games, their avatar, and ask if you can watch them play – or even play yourself. This will give you a better understanding of Roblox and open the doors to conversation.
As well as discovering areas where you might need to tighten safety settings, taking an interest may make your child feel more comfortable talking to you about troubling things they encounter on the platform.
2. Ensure your child’s correct age is entered
Roblox allows access to games appropriate to the user’s age and automatically applies stricter safety settings for users under 13. Age verification is only for 17+ users so you may have to check that your child’s account has the right date of birth.
3. Set a parental PIN
Roblox’s parental controls allow you to set safety restrictions on your child’s account that can only be changed with your parental PIN. However, setting a PIN isn’t mandatory and if you forget, your child can simply remove or modify the restrictions.
4. Disable your child’s chat or set to friends-only
Once you’ve set your parental PIN, you can set account restrictions related to chat, the camera, setting spending limits, and more.
To prevent strangers from interacting with your child, we strongly recommend you limit the people who can contact your child to “friends” or “no one”. This is the default setting for under 13s.
Ensure your child knows how to block users too.
5. Make sure your child knows the dangers of talking to strangers online
You probably remember the “stranger danger” lectures from your childhood, but children today have to be careful online as well as off.
Make sure they know the risks of interacting with strangers online, how to identify a predator, and ways to protect themselves from potential harm.
Child psychologist Dr. Beurkens covers these areas in this useful article: How to talk to your child about online predators.
6. Allow your kids to play in common areas only
When left to use Roblox behind closed doors, your child may be more likely to talk to strangers, play inappropriate games, or attempt to bypass your restrictions.
A good practice is to only allow play in your home’s living room, kitchen, or family room. This will make it easy for you to supervise their playing, see changes in their behavior, and be able to step in immediately if something worrying happens.
7. Use external parental controls
Roblox’s account settings can be effective in protecting your child from some of the dangers on the platform, such as interacting with strangers and accessing inappropriate content.
But for most parents, this won’t be enough. For example, Roblox’s parental controls don’t allow you to control your child’s screen time or block the app from being opened.
Perhaps the biggest drawback of relying on Roblox’s parental controls is that they require your child’s cooperation to set up and you have to trust they won’t just create a new account without you knowing.
In conjunction with Roblox’s controls, a universal parental control tool like Qustodio can help your child enjoy a safe experience on the platform.
With Qustodio you can:
- Monitor the time they spend playing Roblox
- Set time limits to help prevent gaming addiction
- Block the Roblox app from being opened
- Receive an alert when they first use Roblox
- Pause the internet at the push of a button.
Is Roblox safe for kids? Qustodio’s final recommendation
Roblox is a hugely popular gaming platform amongst children of all ages. The platform allows them to play, explore, create, and socialize in an engaging open-world environment. However, its popularity among young users also brings several safety concerns that parents need to be aware of, including the potential for adult-child interactions and exposure to adult content.
With the help of parental controls, supervision, education, and conversation, we can ensure our kids have a fun and safe time on their favourite Roblox games.
Reference: Is Roblox safe for kids? An app safety guide for parents | Qustodio