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Roblox Part 1: What, Who, and Risk of Exposure to Inappropriate Content

Writer's picture: Josh Lock Josh Lock

Updated: Jan 14


Naive parents aren’t protective parents.


Parents typically are not intentionally naive, but children are ultimately left at risk for different forms of abuse or exposure when parents aren't educated appropriately. If you're taking the time read this, we sincerely appreciate you working to learn more about the risk children face on an application that is geared towards youth.


In this part one of our blog series about Roblox, we’re going to focus on what Roblox is, who plays it, and the four main concerns we have. We’ll address one of the concerns in this article for your consideration.


We want parents to have easy access to topics and information like this, so knowledge and education evolve into confidence and clarity when it comes to keeping their child safe. We want to empower parents to protect their children.


Let’s consider what Roblox is and the current facts surrounding the gaming application.


What is Roblox?

Roblox is an online game that is played on PCs, Macs, cell phones, tablets, IPads, and various gaming consoles like Xbox or PlayStation. Players create an avatar and are then able to create games or enter games created by others within Roblox or socialize with others. The games are created by the Roblox community using Roblox Studio.


Who plays Roblox?

Since its conception in 2006, Roblox has gained over 207 million monthly users as of October 2024. The daily average of Roblox players is 79.5 million.

●  32.4 million Roblox users are under the age of 131

●  53% of Roblox’s users are males1

●  39% are females1


Considering data from December of 2023, Roblox Corporation reported:

●  21% of Roblox users worldwide were aged nine to 12 years of age2

●  21% of Roblox users are under the age of nine2

●  18% of Roblox users were 25 years of age or older2


Users can be broken down into these brackets:

●  Under 9 and up to 12 year olds are 42% of the entire user count2

●  13 - 16 year olds are 41% of the ensure user count2

●  17-25 and higher make up 41% of the user population2


What are the main concerns for children using Roblox?

In preparation for the discussion, we categorized our concerns into 4 different groups.

●  Risk of exposure to inappropriate content

●  Opportunity to perpetrate or experience aggression and violence through gameplay,

communication or cyberbullying

●  Inappropriate or negative communication

●  Risk of crime victimization



Risk of exposure to inappropriate content:

There is risk associated with allowing children on Roblox, considering that adult content, conversation, and themes exist within the game. One of the more commonly known platforms that provides this type of content on Roblox are the condo games. Condo games are user-generated games that typically have inappropriate content and are not strictly monitored. Roblox has the ability to moderate inappropriate content, however creators of these games find ways to bypass the filters using keywords, misspelling words, or changing letters to symbols. Players participating in or creating condo games are able to make their character perform inappropriate sexual actions like gang rapes, intercourse, or vulgar acts. Here is a quick video showing how easy it is for a child to be exposed to inappropriate content accidentally.



A viral example of exposure to inappropriate content on Roblox is on the Hulu premiere of The Kardashians. In a scene from the reality TV series, Kim Kardashian's son is shown playfully running up to her, and sharing with her a profile or character using an image with Kim’s face titled “Kim’s New Sex Tape." Kim’s recorded response was more self focused as she addressed the content her child was exposed to, rather than realizing the overall risk associated with her son having access to the game.



One last example of being exposed to inappropriate content from Roblox is actually not from the child playing the game, but a child watching someone else play Roblox. Many content creators, who are adults, will film themselves playing Roblox and upload the video to Youtube. Many parents allow their children access to Youtube, and don’t consider something like watching someone play a video game like Roblox as a threat. However, parents must look at these videos at face value - an adult, who has full access and autonomy to do what they want - is playing a video game that encourages creation, interaction, and is ultimately geared towards children. Furthermore, creators of this type of content may purposefully play the game in a way that is outlandish, inappropriate, or misuse the game to earn views on their videos.


We found a video that brought concern because of the appearance of grooming behaviors. The creator of the video is an adult interacting with other players that are children. Watch some of this video and ask yourself, “would I tolerate an adult to speak to my child like this in real life?” Consider your child watched this video, thought it to be exciting or funny, and sought out this type of interaction on Roblox. Realize that even though there aren’t overtly sexual and violent communications or interactions in this scenario, it’s completely inappropriate and can lead to confusion for your child on right from wrong.


So, what can you do as a parent?

Ultimately, as the parent, you cannot ensure without a doubt your child won’t be exposed to inappropriate content on the application. Going even deeper, a child may not seek a parent out if they are accidentally exposed to inappropriate content in fear of losing access to the game after you intervene.


We have two initial suggestions on how you can approach your child to understand what their experience is on Roblox, and implement boundaries for them. For them to truly enjoy the game with little risk and your supervision, many boundaries should be in place, almost regardless of age.


First, let your child know you want to talk to them about Roblox and learn more about the game. Even if you’re familiar with Roblox, learning about the application from your child’s perspective will teach you a lot. Ask them questions about what they like about Roblox, what they don’t like, and who they speak to. Ask them to explain an interaction when they felt confused or worried and explain they won’t be in trouble during the conversation when they share. Let them share more than one if they will. Let your child tell you about anytime on Roblox that something happened and they didn’t want to tell you.


After giving your child an opportunity to tell you about the game, ask to play with them. You can watch them or play along if able, and see how they play the game and who they interact with. After spending time together on the game and identifying where there are opportunities for exposure to inappropriate content, speak with them about your concerns and that you’re going to provide them a way to play the game in a safer way. If you see that there is too much risk or they are using the game inappropriately, consider what’s in the best interest of your child. It’s okay to have your child take a break completely from the game, and work towards a solution.


If you’ve read this and have questions about approaches to safeguard your child, please reach out to josh@preventionstartswithparents.com.


1 J. Clement, Aug 8, 2024, Statista

2 J. Clement, Feb 29, 2024, Statista

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thank you Josh for your hard work!!

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