Roblox is wildly popular among kids, teenagers, and young adults. Sometimes the massive craze of the gaming platform makes the parents wonder if it is safe or not. That’s why a lot of them are asking the question “Is Roblox safe for my kids?” on the internet. If your child has recently shown interest in Roblox, and you want to be sure if you should allow them or not, this post will help you decide.
Here, I will explain to you everything from scratch. I’ll tell you what Roblox is, if it is safe for your children or not and if your child should play it or not. This will help you to safeguard your children against possible threats.
What is Roblox?
Basically, Roblox is an online gaming and game creation platform. It features hundreds and thousands of fun games that are mostly created by amateur creators. This means that the majority of the Roblox content is ‘user-generated.’ Some examples of popular Roblox games are Natural Disaster Survival, Scuba Diving at Quill Lake, Work at a Pizza Place, Jailbreak, etc. The versatility of games on Roblox is excellent.
This is because anyone can create and publish games for the community using simple tools. If you have an idea, you can easily turn it into the game. So, it is a very good platform for creative folks. You can access Roblox on your PC, laptop, tablet, mobile, or console like Xbox.
Roblox is a fun platform for people of all ages. Children, Teenagers, and Young Adults love it the most. Their parents often find it confusing and don’t understand much about it due to the different visuals. Anyone can create a Roblox account and start creating or playing games instantly.
What is the Minimum Age to Use Roblox?
There is NO minimum age to use Roblox. People of any age can register for a Roblox account and start playing. However, the users under the age of 13 have to be under their parent’s supervision. Although there is no parental consent essential for the underage sign up. Generally, Roblox is recommended for anyone above 10 years old. The PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating for Roblox is 7 years. iTunes recommends it for users above 12 years old.
As of May 2020, Roblox has over 155 million active players globally. Out of them all, more than 60% of the players have ages between 8 to 18 years. The average age of a Roblox user is 15 years old. You can clearly see the craze of Roblox among the children and teenagers by this trend.
Is Roblox Safe for Kids & Teenagers?
The short answer to this question is YES. Roblox is pretty safe for kids, teenagers, and even young adults as compared to other games and websites available on the internet. The Roblox games are creative, fun, and safe to play. The game visuals are very different from any other games and are more preferred by kids and teens. Most of the games are suitable for all age groups while some games that are slightly edgier are rated 13+.
Roblox staff continuously monitors the content created on the platform. They make sure that the ‘unsuitable’ content never reaches anyone’s screen. But, with the huge user-base, sometimes the offensive components may slip through. So, it is essential that parents also keep an eye on what their children are seeing.
Therefore, Roblox is SAFE for kids, teenagers, and young adults considering that they stay under safety guidelines.
What are the Risks of Using Roblox?
As every game or website on the internet comes with certain risks, Roblox also have certain offensive components. Let’s take a look at what sort of risk will surround your child if he starts playing or creating games on Roblox.
1. User-Generated Content
The user-generated content is both the pro and con for safety on Roblox. It helps your kids to engage in highly creative games but at the same time, it may also put him in front of unsuitable items. Roblox keeps filtering the content coming in the platform but sometimes, the unsuitable stuff may slip through possible loopholes.
For example, there are certain games like Hotline Roblox that feature violent visuals that show weapons (guns, knives, etc) and blood. Or, sometimes, there are scenes where Avatar’s get engaged in sexual activities. However, the Roblox visuals make sure that they do not seem as violent and obscene as they would in any other game.
2. Chatting with Strangers
The ‘chat’ feature of Roblox makes the children vulnerable to predators. Anyone can communicate with anyone else on Roblox. There are limitations or restrictions. Sometimes, the chat may also contain offensive words like racial slurs, abusive words, etc.
One more problem is the introduction of third-party chat apps that look like they are a part of the game. People use these to communicate with the users who turned off the in-game chat. Strangers can also send your kids ‘friend request.’
3. In-Game Purchases
Roblox is free to play but it contains a in-game purchasing of Robux with real money. Robux is the in-game currency that the players can use to buy equipment and outfits in the games. So, your children might fall for it and may pose a risk of spending your money without your knowledge.
Also, your children might fall for ‘fraud Robux generators’ on the internet in hopes of getting Robux.
4. No Offline Gameplay
Internet is the root of every threat for your children playing games online. So, you could just switch it off and let your kids enjoy the offline games. But, that is not possible with Roblox as it doesn’t offer offline playing. There is also no option to play it as a single player.
Also, your children will always be exposed to Roblox Youtube videos that contain unsuitable visuals.
What are the Safety Guidelines to Follow on Roblox?
To protect your children on Roblox, you only need to follow some safety guidelines. If you keep following these properly, your children will have no risk on using Roblox and can enjoy the brilliant games that it has. Here are the safety guidelines you have to follow.
- Enable Roblox Parental Controls and apply suitable restrictions.
- Stay near your child whenever he or she is playing Roblox games. You will be able to know what your children are doing by this.
- Warn your children to not get too close with complete strangers.
- Keep your credit card, PayPal, and other payment items password protected. Make sure that your children can’t use them without your permission.
- Create an account and start playing with your kids.
- Encourage your children to not use their real names on the platform.
- Educate your children about the dangers of the internet beforehand. Teach them what they should and should not do.
These are some safety guidelines that will help you protect your kids from any possible threat to Roblox.
Final Verdict
Roblox is a very popular gaming and game creation platform among kids and teenagers. The growing craze makes the parents wonder if it is safe. However, you don’t need to worry much as it is absolutely safe for your children, as long as you keep following certain safety guidelines. For further help, you can also go through the official Roblox Parent’s Guide.
That’s all for this post. I hope you find it helpful. For any questions or suggestions, feel free to use the comment box. I’ll be glad to read and respond.
