Since their emergence, games have captivated both children and adults. While many are designed specifically for younger players, the popular gaming platform Roblox, which boasts the world`s largest player base, has recently faced controversies. This has raised concerns among parents about the measures in place to safeguard its young users.
This article addresses these critical questions by providing factual information on available privacy filters, the functionality of parental controls, and details regarding Roblox`s content maturity ratings. Furthermore, we will explain how to report concerning activities or content, including instances of cyberbullying, Robux scams, or other illicit behaviors. This guide aims to help you determine if Roblox is a suitable environment for your child.
The article also examines a Bloomberg Report detailing how predators have exploited Roblox to target children, along with Roblox Corp`s official responses and the ongoing controversies the company has encountered since the report`s publication. Parental discretion is advised.
Table of Contents
- Is Roblox safe for your child to play?
- How to set up Roblox parental controls
- Bloomberg Report on Child Safety in Roblox
- The Official Roblox Response To Parents
Is Roblox safe for your child to play?
Roblox has significantly improved its safety measures for young users in recent years. These enhancements include strengthened parental controls, restrictions on direct messaging and “hangout” experiences for players under 13, and increased authority for moderation teams to address illegal activities. Roblox Corporation is also actively investing in AI technology to bolster child safety and offers a dedicated safety resource section for parents on its website.
Despite these advancements, persistent child safety concerns remain on the Roblox platform. Authorities continue to receive thousands of reports concerning grooming activities within its games. While cyberbullying in the in-game chat is rigorously moderated, the platform still lacks sufficient protections against Robux scams, especially those occurring through in-experience purchases.
Ultimately, in contrast to online games like Nintendo`s Splatoon series, which restrict interaction to predefined phrases and emotes, Roblox offers a more open environment. If you prefer to prevent your child from interacting with other players or being exposed to potential scams or bullying, Roblox might not be the safest choice.
A key recommendation is for parents to personally explore various Roblox experiences for a short period to identify any elements that could negatively affect their child`s enjoyment or safety. After this assessment, discuss your findings with your child. Monitoring safety on platforms like Roblox can be more challenging than with traditional gaming, leading some parents to opt against allowing their children to play.
How to set up Roblox parental controls
To begin setting up parental controls on Roblox, you must first create your account. Afterward, proceed with these steps:
- Log in to your child`s Roblox account using a PC or mobile device. Age verification, typically via a government-issued ID or credit card, will be required.
- On PC, click the gear icon in the top right corner of the main screen to access Settings. On mobile, tap `More,` then the gear icon to open the Settings menu.
- Select `Parental Controls` and then `Add Parent.`
- Enter your email address to link your account to your child`s.
Within the Parental Controls section, you can regulate the content your child encounters. For instance, the `Content Maturity` option allows you to set the appropriate age rating for experiences. It`s important to remember that these ratings apply to the content of the experience itself, not to interactions with other players. The content maturity labels include:
- Minimal: Experiences with the lowest rating, possibly including occasional mild violence, mild fear, and/or light, unrealistic blood.
- Mild: May feature repeated mild violence, mild crude humor, mild recurring fear, and/or significant amounts of unrealistic blood.
- Moderate: Can include moderate violence, moderate crude humor, moderate recurring fear, light realistic blood, and “unplayable gambling content.” This indicates that no real-world currency or Robux is used for these in-game gambling elements (often gachas).
- Restricted: The highest rating, featuring strong violence, heavy realistic blood, moderate crude humor, romantic themes, moderate fear, strong language, and alcohol depictions. This rating also includes unplayable gambling content and is accessible only to age-verified users aged 17 and above.
Additionally, parents can block specific experiences, manage screen time, control chat functionality, oversee private servers and connections, and set spending limits for Robux or experience subscriptions.
Bloomberg Report on Child Safety in Roblox
A 2024 Bloomberg report brought to light a significant and long-suspected issue of pedophilia on the Roblox platform. The report starts with an account of a developer who leveraged his game to manipulate young fans into defending his “predatory tirades.” When Roblox Corp. discovered his inappropriate messages to pre-teens, the developer remained unfazed, simply transferring game ownership to a friend and profiting from the controversy. Ultimately, in 2022, he was arrested in connection with a 15-year-old Indiana girl he groomed and later received a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty to transporting a minor across state lines for sexual engagement.
This incident is not isolated. The report reveals that “Since 2018, U.S. police have apprehended at least two dozen individuals accused of abducting or abusing victims they encountered or groomed through Roblox.” It further indicates that despite Roblox`s moderation efforts, predators frequently entice children with promises of Robux (the platform`s currency) in exchange for explicit photos or interactions on external platforms like Snapchat or Discord, sometimes leading to in-person meetings.
The report also notes that Roblox Corp.`s 3,000 moderators review over 50,000 chat messages daily for its 78 million-plus active users. While this moderation team is considerably smaller than TikTok`s 40,000 employees, Roblox maintains that its compact team does not diminish moderation quality. Matt Kaufman, Roblox`s chief safety officer, dismissed claims of specific platform issues, attributing such problems to the broader industry. However, both current and former employees who have fought against predators on the platform have characterized their efforts as a “Sisyphean task.”
Furthermore, the report highlights that the term “grooming” was absent from Roblox Corp.`s 2022 moderation guide, a document reviewed by Businessweek. It also includes critical testimonies from current and former staff, who allege that senior leadership failed to investigate how predators were exploiting Robux to endanger children.
In the years following, Roblox has invested in tools designed to detect and remove users who engage in harassment both off-platform and offline, and to identify new accounts created by previously banned individuals. The Bloomberg report states that “In 2023, Roblox Corp reported 13,316 instances of child exploitation to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, representing less than 0.04% of all reports to the center, a significant increase from 2,973 the previous year.”
The Official Roblox Response To Parents
In a March 2025 BBC News article, Roblox CEO and co-founder David Baszucki addressed parents concerned about their children using the platform. He stated, “My primary message would be, if you`re uncomfortable, do not allow your children on Roblox. While this may seem counter-intuitive, I have always trusted parents to make informed decisions.”
This statement drew criticism, especially from parental organizations such as Mumsnet. Justine Roberts, a co-founder of Mumsnet, argued that the burden of responsibility should not fall entirely on parents. She noted, “If you are caring for multiple children and unforeseen incidents occur, it`s virtually impossible to supervise their every action 24/7, even with all parental controls activated.”
More recently, Dave Baszucki has voiced support for the updated Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. He informed MSNBC that Roblox employs AI for age estimation, and specifically for teenagers, the platform has introduced “Trusted Connections,” enabling players to connect exclusively with known individuals. Additional modifications include prohibiting direct messaging for users under 13 and restricting their access to experiences primarily designed for casual social interaction.