What is Roblox 101?

If you have children between the ages of 7 and 14, chances are you've heard them talk about Roblox. It's one of the most popular gaming platforms in the world, with over 70 million daily active users in 2025, many of them children. During the 2020 COVID lockdown, Roblox claimed that half of all Americans under the age of 16 had an account.

Roblox isn't a single game - it's a platform, like a digital playground, where users can create their own characters, explore millions of user-made games, and chat with friends. It's the perfect game for kids to express their creativity and play at home with their friends.

What Roblox Actually Is

• Roblox is a platform, not just one game
• Its content is user generated, and developers who spend time making games can be paid if they are successful enough
• Kids download the free app (available on phones, tablets, PC, Xbox) and create an avatar
• They can then join millions of "experiences" created by other users, ranging from obstacle courses ('obbies') to roleplay worlds like 'Brookhaven'
• Roblox has its own currency, Robux, which kids use to buy outfits, items, or access special games. This currency costs real money and can be converted back to real money through the platform

Why Kids Love Roblox

• Creativity: Anyone can design their own world or game using Roblox Studio
• Socialising: Roblox is more than just games - it's a form of social media, a space away from school, parents and adults to enjoy with their friends
• Trends: Popular YouTubers and streamers showcase Roblox games, driving kids to try them
• Endless content: There's always something new to discover, and it's free to start

The Risks Parents Should Know

1. Strangers and Chats

• Roblox allows text chat in games. Children may receive friend requests or messages from strangers
• Roblox claims to use AI to scan every message on the platform, but this has limitations
• Grooming attempts have been documented
• Invites to move conversations off-platform (to Discord or elsewhere) are a known issue

2. In-App Purchases (Robux)

• Kids often pressure parents for Robux to buy virtual items
• Many games are little more than hyperstimulating loops of microtransactions, designed to constantly push opportunities to spend

3. Inappropriate Content

• While Roblox has moderation and oversight features, sexually inappropriate or violent user-made games can slip through
• Some roleplay games (e.g., dating simulators) are not age-appropriate
• Many developers earn money by placing real advertisements inside their games, sometimes resulting in games feeling like ad-saturated marketplaces
• While the platform hosts many well-designed games, a lot of experiences are "junk" content using familiar characters like Sonic or SpongeBob with no meaningful engagement except through spending Robux

4. Scams and Exploits

• Fake "free Robux" offers are common both inside Roblox and on YouTube/TikTok
• Some games mislead children into giving away account information

Safety Settings for Parents

Roblox does have parental controls, but they need to be turned on.

• Ensure their age: When opening a new account, ensure their age is set correctly. Roblox has content moderation features for ages 'below 9', '9-13', and '13-17'
• Parent linked accounts: Roblox's main safety features come from their own content monitoring (human and AI) and their parental oversight mechanism:
  • Set up your own account as an adult
  • Ask your child to send a request to you for parental oversight
  • When linked, parents can verify the child's age and manage important features such as content maturity cutoff, disable direct messaging or limit to close friends, and enforce spending limits
• Check in: Since all content on the platform is user created, there are always new experiences every hour. Checking in about screen time, asking about any attempts from strangers to scam, harass or move conversations off-platform, and reminders about risks every once in a while is important

Talking to Your Kids About Roblox

Aside from the parental safety features, the best defence is to talk to your children openly but reassuringly about the risks.

• Ask which games they enjoy and why
• Join them for a session to see what it's like
• Explain the risks of chatting with strangers and clicking on "free Robux" links