Protecting Children on Roblox: Potential Dangers and Preventive Measures
Roblox, a popular gaming platform with over 70 million daily users, many of whom are children, has become a go-to destination for entertainment and creativity. However, like any online platform, it's not without its risks.
The main concerns for children using Roblox include exposure to sexual content and grooming, financial exploitation, and interaction with potential predators. Inappropriate user-created games, often called "condo games," facilitate virtual sexual roleplay and are sometimes easily accessible to underage players. Child predators have also been known to use the platform to groom and exploit children, with documented cases leading to arrests.
To address these concerns, Roblox has implemented several precautions and policy changes. Age-based restrictions limit access to unrated user-generated games, especially for those under 13. Social hangout games depicting private or adult-themed spaces are limited to users who are ID-verified and at least 17 years old. Automated moderation tools are being deployed to detect rule violations and take down servers with repeated offenses. Communication controls restrict the sharing of personal information, links, and user-to-user image sharing, aiming to reduce exploitation risk.
Despite these measures, lawsuits and public criticism persist, alleging that Roblox prioritizes growth and profits over child safety. Vigilante efforts to expose predators have been banned by Roblox, as they violate terms and can mimic predatory behaviour.
Parents and guardians are advised to use Roblox’s parental controls, monitor children’s activity, and educate kids about safe online behaviour when using the platform. Steps that can be taken include signing up for a Roblox account with the child's correct age, disabling the chat, enabling age restrictions, setting up a parental PIN, talking to their kids about online safety, playing the game with their kids, making sure their kids know how to report and block users, monitoring their kid's activity, installing antivirus software, and purchasing Robux in the game to avoid scams.
JoAnn Crohn, a parenting expert, certified life coach, speaker, and podcast host from Chandler, Arizona, offers advice on this matter. Her podcast, No Guilt Mom, helps teach moms how to help their kids be more self-sufficient, offers advice on disciplining, and discusses setting boundaries. She is also the author of two books, "Me & My Friendships: A Kid's Guide to Making Friends" and "Drama Free Homework: A Parent's Guide to Eliminating Homework Battles and Raising Focused Kids".
While Roblox has introduced significant safety features and restrictions, risks such as exposure to sexual content and grooming remain notable concerns, requiring ongoing vigilance from both the platform and caregivers. Inappropriate content, online predators, cyberbullying, scams and fraud, hacking, viruses and malware, and gaming addiction are potential risks for children on Roblox.
References:
[1] Roblox Safety Concerns: What Parents Need to Know
[2] Roblox: Is It Safe for Kids?
[3] Roblox Faces Backlash Over Alleged Child Exploitation and Harassment
[4] Roblox Bans Vigilantes Who Expose Predators on Its Platform
[5] Roblox’s New Safety Measures: What Parents Need to Know
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