Roblox: what you need to know

With millions of players worldwide, Roblox provides a creative and immersive environment where users can design their own games, play games created by others, customize their avatars, and interact with friends. 

From thrilling adventures and virtual simulations to social hangouts and creative building challenges, Roblox offers something for every type of gamer. Roblox is free to play and can be downloaded on smartphones, tablets, Amazon Fire devices, PC’s, Xbox, Playstation 5 and Mac devices making it very accessible. Roblox has over 70 million daily active users worldwide with a total of 196 million monthly active users as of March 2024.   

What is Roblox & is it safe?

Roblox is a user-generated content platform that allows players to create, share, and play games created by other users. While Roblox itself is not inherently unsafe, it's essential for parents to understand the potential risks associated with this online gaming platform. These risks may include exposure to inappropriate content, interactions with strangers, the possibility of cyberbullying as well as contact with online predators. However, with proper supervision, guidance, and the use of parental controls, Roblox can be a safe and enjoyable gaming environment for children. Let’s dive into more details so you can feel good about saying “yes!” to Roblox.

Does Roblox have age limits?

If your younger child is asking to play Roblox, then the good news is that children of all ages can sign up for a Roblox account. There is no age limit to do so. With that said, the ESRB rating for Roblox is T for Teen. Though Roblox does not have a specific age limit for users, it is typically recommended for players aged 7 and older due to the features, the variety of games and the communication abilities. When it comes to deciding if your child is the right age for Roblox, you know your child best! While parents should assess their child's maturity level and readiness to engage with online communities before allowing them to play Roblox, it is also worth noting that the Roblox parental controls give you some added protection, when set up correctly, that may enable you to say “yes” at a younger age! It’s a win-win! 

While Roblox provides age-appropriate content filters and parental controls to help parents manage their child's gaming experience, it's ultimately up to parents to determine whether their child is ready to explore the platform safely. In terms of age limits, Roblox offers different features, some of which require age verification. To verify the child’s age, they must have a government issued id to share during the application process. Once verified, 13+ gamers will be able to gain access to reduced chat filters. It’s important to note that users under the age of 13 are automatically placed on a more restricted chat.

While Roblox as a whole doesn’t have a minimum age, the games inside the platform are each individually rated to ensure that the right content is shown to the right gamers. The recommended age guidelines and descriptors for the games are as follows:

• All ages: Content is suitable for everyone. These games on Roblox are deemed “safe” for kids, as they only include mild violence or small amounts of unrealistic blood.
• 9+: Content is suitable for everyone aged nine and older. The games include more mild violence or heavy amounts of unrealistic blood.
• 13+: Content is suitable for everyone aged 13 and older. The games include frequent instances of more serious violence and small amounts of realistic blood.
• 17+: Content is suitable for players over the age of 17. In-game content may include strong violence and language, heavy realistic blood, and moderate crude humor.

Encourage your child to pay close attention to the age rating before entering into a game that isn’t designed for them. 

Does Roblox have parental controls?

As mentioned earlier, Roblox offers parental controls that allow parents to manage and monitor their child's activity on the platform. Let’s take a look at what hese parental controls include:

Privacy settings:

• Parents can adjust privacy settings to control who can message their child, who can join their child's games, and who can follow or interact with their child's account.

Content restrictions:

• Parents can set restrictions on the types of experiences their child can play based on age ratings as each experience on the Roblox platform is individually rated
• Roblox provides a rating system to help parents make informed decisions about which games are suitable for their child's age and maturity level.

Account restrictions:

• Parents can enable an account PIN to prevent their child from making unauthorized changes to their account settings.
• Set monthly spending restrictions for accounts under 13 years of age
• Turn on email notifications from Roblox on all spend activity
• This helps to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content or making unauthorized purchases.

10 ways to keep your kids safe on Roblox

The good news is that there are many ways you can keep your kids safe on Roblox (you can breathe a sigh of relief now!) From setting up the account correctly to monitoring their gaming as over time, there are many things you can do to ensure safety. 

1. Set up your child’s Roblox account correctly.

• When asked to enter your child’s age, ensure that you or your child enters their real age so that the correct restrictions are enabled
• Create an account PIN and do not share it with your child. This is how you prevent changes being made to the account without your permission 
• Enable “allowed experiences” so that your child can only access content that is appropriate for their age
• Determine contacts settings which indicate who can communicate with your child

2. Use safe gaming tools to monitor communication. 

• While Roblox offers parental controls, you can always take more steps to ensure that your child is safe while gaming online. You know your child best and the best way to protect them. Seek outside software to protect your child while they play Roblox. With Aura’s safe gaming features, you can get alerts to threats with 24/7 in-game voice and text monitoring for over 200 of the most popular PC games. 

3. Educate your child.

• Teach your child about online safety practices, including not sharing personal information, recognizing and reporting inappropriate behavior, and being cautious when interacting with strangers.

4. Review with your child how to report inappropriate content.

• If your child begins receiving inappropriate messages or sees inappropriate content while engaging in a Roblox experience, it is important that they know what to do. Guide your child through the reporting process to empower them to speak up when something is not right.

5. Monitor their activity.

• Regularly check in on your child's Roblox activity, including the games they play, the people they interact with, and any messages they receive. You can do so by logging into their account and viewing their game history.

6. Set time limits.

• Establish clear guidelines for how much time your child can spend playing Roblox each day and encourage them to take breaks from screen time. It may be a good idea to consider setting hours where Roblox time is and isn’t allowed to avoid late night conversations with strangers on the platform.

7. Encourage playing in a public space.

• If your child is communicating with others on Roblox, encourage them to play in a public space in your home without headphones on. This will allow you to monitor the conversations that are taking place while gaming.

8. Stay involved.

• Engage with your child's gaming experiences by playing Roblox together, discussing their favorite games and creations, and being actively involved in their online activities. Playing with your child is a great way to see how they use the platform.

9. Encourage positive behavior.

• Promote positive online behavior by encouraging your child to be respectful, kind, and inclusive towards other players on Roblox.

10. Stay informed.

• Stay informed about the latest updates and developments on Roblox, including new features, safety measures, and community guidelines, to ensure your child's continued safety and enjoyment on the platform.

By implementing these strategies, you can help ensure that your child will have a safe and positive experience while playing Roblox.