Roblox is a digital gaming platform that allows people of all ages to not only play games online, but also create their own games. In fact, all the games available on Roblox are those developed by independent developers. With the variety of games available on Roblox , it’s not hard to imagine why it has around 200 million users. Despite its colorful world, many parents wonder whether Roblox is suitable for their children .
Many issues affect parents, from children’s transactions on Roblox to the time they spend playing there. In this article, we explain all the risks of Roblox for children, what solutions Roblox offers parents, and what you can do to maximize your child’s safety. But first, let’s discuss why Roblox is important.
Why is Roblox important?
According to Bright, Roblox has about 200 million users, with more than 42 million active daily. Most Roblox users are children. At least half of American children under 16 have played games on Roblox, according to Polygon . This ever-growing online gaming platform offers more than just entertaining kids. It stimulates children’s creativity, prepares the ground for online socializing and, perhaps most importantly, teaches them entrepreneurship.
Roblox ’s simplified programming language allows younger or less experienced programmers to develop games and make money from them. More significant projects have the potential to emerge from these efforts.
However, Roblox also has certain disadvantages. This fantastic platform poses security risks for children that concern parents.
What Roblox Security Risks Affect Parents?
Here is the list of security risks that concern parents about Roblox:
- Chat with strangers
- Sexual harassment
- Grooming
- Cyberbullying
- Data theft
- Inappropriate content
- Violence
- sex
- In-app purchases
- Gambling
- Screen time
In the following lines we explain these risks in detail.
Chat with strangers
On Roblox, users can chat with each other. Although this feature seems valuable for socializing and team building, it is sometimes abused by some users. In-app chat allows sexual predators and harassers to target children. They may send children texts or content that are inappropriate for their age, or try to approach them with malicious intentions.
Sometimes adults or children use the chat function to bully their peers. At other times, they deceive each other by revealing personal information.
Inappropriate content
Not all games on Roblox are intended for all users. Some of them contain violence and sex. There is an age limit for certain games, but children sometimes fake their age to access them. Aside from game content, users may use vulgar language in public chat rooms .
In-app purchases
As mentioned, Roblox offers developers the opportunity to make money from the games they create. They usually do this by selling items that users can take for their avatars. These items are typically not expensive, but they can lead children to overspend through multiple microtransactions.
Gambling
G-strolling with real money betting or Robux (a currency in the Robl ox world that can be transferred to real money ) is not allowed on Roblox. However, some games may promote gambling by inviting users to bet on other users.
Screen time
Like all successful games, Roblox games have an addictive essence, meaning kids can’t help but stop playing. Meanwhile, the recommended screen time for children (that is, the time they can spend on smart devices with screens) is less than 2 hours a day for entertainment.
Excessive screen time leads to mental and physical health problems for children. Sleeping and eating disorders are common in children with high levels of screen time . When children stay up late playing games, they run the risk of waking up tired the next day. It will, in turn, cause a series of problems such as lack of attention and poor performance in school.
How can you make Roblox safe?
Roblox has parental controls that can help make this platform safe for children to a certain extent. This includes:
- Age restriction
- Limited socializing
- Block and Report
- Restricted spending of money
Despite the parental control options that Roblox offers parents, it is necessary to remember that they are not enough to ensure the 100% safety of children. Instructing your child to report to you if they receive suspicious messages or inappropriate content is the best way to maximize their safety. You must prohibit them from replying to messages from strangers or playing games that are not suitable for their age. Also moderate their spending on Roblox if you allow them to purchase in-app items.
Age restriction
When you first run Roblox, you will be asked for age verification. When installing Roblox for your child , it is important to make sure you enter the correct age. Roblox filters some of the features and games on this platform for children under 13 years old. You can change the age later in the app setting.
Limited socializing
Roblox in-app chat is a popular feature of this program. Children mostly use it to talk about the games they play and to form teams. However, if you are unsure about this feature, you can disable it or restrict it to friends in the app’s settings .
Block and Report
Roblox has a large monitoring team that does its best to detect and remove inappropriate content on Roblox. Still, sometimes users need to cooperate with them. Teach your child to report inappropriate content they see on the platform and block/report users they find intrusive.
Restricted spending of money
It is possible to play games on Roblox without paying any money. However, some children prefer to purchase items that make this app more „fun.“ If you don’t want your child to use this feature , you can disable it or limit the amount they can spend in Settings.
How can you monitor kids‘ Roblox screen time?
Roblox does not provide a feature to control children’s screen time while playing games on this platform. However , some parental control apps like Safes allow you to manage your child’s Roblox screen time .
How can safes help you?
Safe’s parental control app provides parents with numerous tools to maximize their children’s health and safety on any app , including Roblox . Safes lets you control how your child uses Roblox right from your own phone. You can:
- Block Roblox
- How to Set a Screen Time Limit on Roblox
- Create a screen schedule for Roblox
- Quit Roblox immediately
- Set bedtime mode
- Get Roblox Screen Time Reports
Block Roblox
If you don’t want your child to use Roblox on their phone, tablet, or laptop, you can use Safes to block them. You can also block the Roblox website to prevent your child from accessing it via web browsers .
How to Set a Screen Time Limit on Roblox
You can set a screen time limit for your child to play games on Roblox. If your child reaches the limit, Roblox will shut down. The Geofence feature allows you to turn screen time limits on and off depending on where your child is _home, school, gym, etc.
Create a screen schedule for Roblox
Safes allow you to do more than just set a time limit. You can have your child use Roblox less on weekdays and more on weekends. You can create screen time profiles for special days like holidays and holidays .
Quit Roblox immediately
If your child uses Roblox too much and wouldn’t listen to your advice to quit, you can quit the program from your own device.
Set bedtime mode
Due to Roblox’s addictive nature, your child may stay up past bedtime playing games. In this case, you can set a bedtime for your child. Your child’s phone won’t work in bedtime mode , except for urgent calls and text messages.
Get Roblox Screen Time Reports
Safes sends parents daily, weekly, and monthly reports about their children’s screen time. These reports allow you to see your child ’s Hobbit while using Roblox. Then you can apply screen time limits if you feel they are being overused.
Finally
Roblox is a unique online gaming platform that entertains children and stimulates their creativity. However, careless or abusive users cause safety risks for children. By explaining to your child the dangers of using Roblox and asking them to report to you if they receive suspicious messages or see inappropriate content, you can make Roblox a much safer place. Luckily, Roblox parental controls help parents a lot in this matter . You can use Safe’s parental control app , to help your child not overuse Roblox. Safes allows you to set a screen time limit for Roblox and a bedtime limit , meaning your child won’t stay up and play games after bedtime.
If you find Safe’s parental controls handy for keeping your child healthy and safe, read more about its features and subscription plans .
frequently asked Questions
Is Roblox safe for my child?
Roblox is not inherently a malicious program. However , moral people may take advantage of this to molest children. The good news is that you can make Roblox a relatively safe program by explaining to your child the risks of using Roblox, using Roblox parental controls, and monitoring your child’s screen time.
Is there an age limit for using Roblox?
Children over the age of four can play games on Roblox. However, some games are restricted to children under 13 years old. Adults can also play games on Roblox.
What security risks threaten children on Roblox?
Some users use the in-app chat feature on Roblox to trick children into revealing private information. Some others target children for grooming, cyberbullying or sexual harassment. Despite Roblox ’s monitor, sexual and violent content can be found in some games or public chat rooms. In-app purchases and gambling are other topics that concern parents .
