Main Concerns for Parents
Chatting and friend requests
Whilst the games in Roblox are aimed at 8 to 18-year-olds,
there are currently no age restrictions for signing up.
This means both adults and young people can play and
communicate with each other and send friend requests
through the platform. Once a friend request is accepted, this
means that they can communicate with each other outside
of gameplay.
The Roblox Studio
The Roblox Studio allows users to create their own games
and ‘worlds’ for others to play on the platform. As the games
are user generated, it gives users the freedom to potentially
include things you do not want your child to be exposed
to, for example, weapons, violence and even pornographic
content. There are no age restrictions on the games created
in the Roblox Studio and Roblox can only rely on people
reporting negative/violent content in order to remove the
games from the platform.
Robux (online payments)
When a user creates a game, they earn something called
‘Robux’, which works as a currency within the platform,
allowing the purchase of upgrades and memberships. If
the created game is of good quality and attracts multiple
players and in-game adverts, children have the potential
to earn a lot of ‘Robux’. Once a user has earned a certain
amount of Robux, they can convert this to real cash and
withdraw it to a PayPal account. To withdraw money, users
need to be over 13, have a PayPal account and have paid for
the Roblox premium subscription.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is the world’s largest interactive
social platform. It is a multi-player online
gaming platform which allows children to
play and create a variety of games in a 3D
world. Roblox is free to play and available on
all modern smartphones, tablets, desktops,
Xbox One, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive.
ROBLOX: A Parent’s Guide
What does it look like in the app store?
© National Online Safety Ltd
This is not a denitive guide. Please always check with any app’s support
information to see if your security and privacy concerns are addressed.
ROBLOX: Tips for Parents
Regularly check what your child is doing
Even though you trust your child, they may not tell you
who they have been talking to or what exactly they have
been playing on the platform. If you wish, you are able to
check your child’s history on Roblox, including:
• Their creations, such as games, items, sounds,
adverts...etc (You can find this in the develop section
when logged in)
• Their private messages they have sent and received
(When logged in, open the Chat & Party window in
the bottom-right of the page. Click on any of the users
which will open a window and show you the chat)
• Their Friends and Followers (You can find this in the
friends section when logged in)
• Virtual item purchase and trade history (Find this in
the transactions section when logged in).
Blocking and reporting
Roblox has tools in place to make it easy for users to report
inappropriate behaviour and block users from making
contact. It is important that you and your child know
how to block and report users and functions within the
platform. Have the discussion with your child to make sure
they are confident in knowing what should be reported
and how to report something. You can find the red ‘Report
Abuse’ buttons throughout the platform.
What should be reported?
• If a user is being offensive in a chat or private message
• If a user is being offensive when playing a game
• If anyone asks your child for their personal information
• Harassment and cyberbullying
• Impersonation Illegal activity
• Discrimination
• If somebody breaks the Roblox community rules
You can disable in-game chat
Roblox is great for children to play together and chat to
each other. However, if you wanted to completely turn
off in-game chat for your child (meaning they could not
contact anyone including their friends) you can do so by
following these steps: When logged in, go to the Account
Settings page by clicking on the gear icon at the top right
corner of the page, then click Settings. Next, click on the
Privacy tab and under ‘Who can chat with me in game?’
select ‘No one’ and this will disable in-game chat.’
Enable a 2-step verication
Roblox has a great 2-step verification security feature
which we recommend you enable to add an extra layer of
security to your child’s account. It means that when there is
a log in on a new device, users will be asked to enter their
username and password followed by a 6-digit security
code. This code will be sent to the email address used to set
up the account (your child’s) so significantly reduces the
risk of hacking. To set up the 2-step verification, simply go
to the account settings and click on the security tab.
Unlist social media accounts
Make sure your child’s social media accounts are not listed
in the settings/account info. If they are, advise them to
make them private or remove them in their account. This
will ensure nobody can find and contact them on their
social media platforms outside of Roblox.
Is your child under 13?
Unfortunately, there are hundreds of YouTube videos
showing children how to change their age settings on
Roblox, so firstly, you should talk to your child to set up
some rules/an agreement. There are additional safety
features for children under 13, for example having their
posts and chats filtered for inappropriate content and
behaviour, so It is worth checking that your child has set up
their account with the correct age. You can find this in their
account settings.
Do not use a real name to sign up
Roblox encourages its users to use a fake name to sign up.
This helps to protect your child’s identity, but they should
be aware that this means they don’t know who exactly they
are talking to.
Have a discussion with your child about
online payments
It is important to talk to your child to make sure they
know it is possible to spend real money in the game, as
well as Robux. When having the conversation, it may be
worth making some promises with them, such as asking
your child to let you know if they are prompted to make
a payment in the game which could prevent unwanted
payments.
Make sure your child only has ONE account
Even if you set up a Roblox account with parental controls
for children under 13 years old, they are still able to create
multiple accounts on their device (these are often called
‘ghost accounts’). This means that your child may set up a
13+ account with less parental settings. We recommend
having a discussion with your child about account creation
to make sure they do not have accounts you don’t know
about.
Unlist social media accounts
Make sure your child’s social media accounts are not listed
in the settings/account info. If they are, advise them to
make them private or remove them in their account. This
will ensure nobody can find and contact them on their
social media platforms outside of Roblox.
Check what personal information they share
In the account settings, check that your child is not giving
away any personal information in their bio/profile. For
example, their full name, phone number or snapchat name.
If you see that they have, explain why this is potentially
dangerous and remove immediately.
Sources: https://corp.roblox.com/
