What is Roblox?
Roblox is an online platform where anyone can create and share games. There are literally millions of user-generated 3D game worlds on Roblox. Some games are free to play, while others cost “Robux,” the online currency that players use to buy games and items such as clothes or accessories.
Parents should know that most Roblox games include social features, like in-game chat and filtered messaging, though you can turn off these features. Roblox may be your child’s first experience with online socializing, which gives you a hands-on opportunity to help your child develop good digital habits that last a lifetime.
How can I help my child stay safe on Roblox?
As with all online social experiences, everyone should be respectful of themselves and others, be mindful of what they post, and understand how to use any privacy settings, security tools, or blocking and reporting features. Roblox also provides parents with tools to restrict certain activities, like chat, within the platform, and to monitor their child’s account activity.
Should my child play with people they don’t know?
There isn’t a single answer for every child or family. Roblox does give you a lot of control over who can interact with your child and how. You can choose who can message them and who can chat with them. But there can be positive aspects to interacting with new people, as long as your child is careful not to reveal personal information, get into inappropriate conversations or get together with people they meet online, except with parental supervision. Access these controls within the Privacy tab in Account Restrictions.
How much screen time is best?
This is a harder question to answer than it may seem. The American Academy of Pediatrics has recently revised its screen time recommendations and no longer recommends arbitrary limits. Of course, no online activities should interfere with sleep, exercise, homework, or family time, and it’s best for children to have set times when they are allowed to “play” online. And just as with soccer or any other types of games, it’s best for children to know when they can and can’t play rather than being arbitrarily kicked off by their parents without notice.
More advice for parents
Play Roblox with your child.
Whether your child plays Roblox on a computer, smartphone, tablet, or gaming console, we recommend kids (especially younger ones) play with you or another trusted adult nearby, and ideally in a public area of the house, like the den or kitchen. You’ll want to see what kind of games they’re playing, how they’re playing (sportsmanship matters online, too), and with whom they’re interacting. Better yet, make an account for yourself so you can play games together. This will give you a better sense of how Roblox works, and it might be fun for you, too.
Read and discuss Roblox’s Community Rules.
Review Roblox’s Community Rules with your child, especially the “guiding principles,” which are easy to understand. Also, consider drawing up a family agreement that outlines your expectations for their online behavior. Make it a discussion (never a lecture), and remember to explain to your child that along with rights and privileges come responsibilities. You’ll find examples of family contracts at ConnectSafely.org/contracts.
Use parental controls.
Roblox defaults to more restrictive settings for users under 13. For additional parental controls, go to Settings (gear icon) and Parental controls. Here parents can disable chat or messaging, restrict access to a curated list of age-appropriate games, and set a monthly limit on how much money, if any, the child can spend on Roblox’s in-game currency. Parents can also enable an account PIN which requires a 4-digit code to make any changes to settings. We recommend parents use these features for very young or new players, but for most families, the goal should be to help children learn to make good decisions on their own as they mature.
Passwords and other personal information.
Starting at an early age, talk with your kids about the importance of keeping passwords and other personal information private. Friends can become ex-friends and use your child’s account in mean or inappropriate ways. Scammers can also lure kids into giving private information in exchange for “free” Robux. Help your child get into the habit of creating unique passwords with a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters and updating all passwords regularly. More on this at ConnectSafely.org/passwords.
Reporting and blocking.
Players can use the Report links located throughout the platform or in the main Roblox menu (click the flag next to the offending player’s name). Talk to your child about what to report (including bullying, inappropriate behavior, scams and other violations) and how to make a report. Or, ask your child to come to you if they experience a problem so you can report it together. You can block players by going to the three dots in the upper right corner of the player’s profile and selecting Block.