After sharing about the risk of exposure to inappropriate content in Part 1 of our Roblox blog series, we now want to address the prevalence of aggression, violent themes and cyberbullying within the application.
Due to the gameplay and chat or communication capabilities on Roblox, children have the opportunity to perpetrate or experience aggression and violence.
Let’s get a bird’s eye view of the problem and then discuss cyberbullying.
In a study conducted by ClickSafe Intelligence in 2024 regarding adverse experiences for children online, they surveyed 385 respondents. Out of the larger sample:
100 reported experiencing degradation while playing video games
85 reported they experienced bullying
134 shared they were called names
Only 27 reported their adverse experience to a parent
This sample isn’t specific to only the Roblox application, but speaks to the overall experience of children interacting with applications and the internet.
In another recent study, Thorn released a Youth Perspectives on Online Safety report from 2023, providing a comprehensive viewpoint for what children experience online. Specifically, 41% of the children studied (ages 9 - 17) reported they had been bullied online.
Statistically, children are more likely to be cyberbullied by someone they know in real life. That someone is most likely another child or adolescent.
With these perspectives in mind, let’s understand how they are pertinent to Roblox gameplay and what our children experience and how they interact with others on the platform.
Many parents allow their young child to take advantage of communication and chat capabilities within Roblox. Parents may do this knowingly or unknowingly, or just assume the default settings that Roblox uses for the child’s reported age on the application. Something that isn’t meant for harm, like chat capabilities with real life friends, can actually increase the likelihood of cyberbullying or inappropriate communication - especially if left unmonitored by the parents.
Bullying online—through hurtful comments, exclusion, or spreading rumors—can be just as damaging as in-person bullying. What's alarming is that the digital environment sometimes makes it easier to bully others without immediate consequences, allowing aggression to go unchecked. This effect is something called Online Disinhibition, and essentially everyone who uses the internet to interact with others experiences this effect.
The impact of cyberbullying can be more severe than traditional bullying, with the odds of suicidal ideations being 3.1 more times greater.
What could it look like for a child to be cyberbullied on Roblox?
“Paying up” - users may bully a child into sending Roblox’s form of currency, Robux
General harassment on the game
Others making fun of the child’s avatar, appearance, or gameplay
Name calling or derogatory remarks that may or may not be relevant to the child
Harmful, direct communication in messages from strangers or players the child knows in real life
This leaves two categories of “roles” in the cyberbullying situation. Children can be a bystander or upstander in a cyberbullying situation. A bystander is someone who witnesses a situation and doesn’t intervene, while an upstander is an individual who seeks help or takes action when someone is being bullied.
Referring back to the statistic that children are most likely to be bullied online by someone they know means that it is other children perpetrating that harm. Parents - we must be modeling healthy communication, monitoring the content our children consume, who they spend time with, and respond appropriately if we find our child is a perpetrator.
Taking a holistic approach to cyberbullying (or bullying in general) with children will mean having intentional conversations about the effect our behaviors have on others, how to seek help for ourselves or others, and practicing self control. To the father reading this, according to research, you have the unique role of helping develop your child’s ability to develop self control. How have you recently helped your child practice this skill?
There’s much more to share, but let’s move on to violent content and themes within Roblox.
Roblox shares on their website the behaviors or actions that will not be tolerated on their platform. Although they may not allow certain behavior, it doesn’t mean an incident will not occur before it is experienced or reported, or a player is removed for not following gameplay standards. We could refer to this type of exposure as accidental–when a child experiences or is exposed to content they weren’t willfully searching for. Depending on the settings and privacy that your child’s account has, they could enter games that have violent themes or communication, and your child could receive or send threatening or harmful speech.
Children also can be exposed to severe forms of violence if no parental controls, filters, or parental engagement are present. The website explains that depending on the age of the character created, specific content will be age appropriate and differ as age increases. However, if a child’s account is registered older than them, the approach fails. It is understood that consistent exposure to online violence can desensitize young players/adolescents to “real life” violence, making it seem less harmful. In some cases, these games reward aggressive behavior, creating an environment where children might believe that violence is an acceptable solution to conflict. Research shows that repeated exposure to violent gaming can influence a child’s emotional response, making them more likely to act aggressively in real life.
Roblox is unique because the avatars aren’t necessarily realistic, but the sensory experience from violence within the game still depicts violence that is near to real life or similar to more anatomically correct or realistic video games.
Ultimately, both interaction or gameplay with known or unknown individuals to your child could pose a risk–realizing it is more about the opportunity Roblox provides to express or experience violence. Have you ever read an overview of Parental Controls offered on Roblox? Start here to see how the game itself sets default controls, what options you have, and what access your child may have (or who has access to them).
As mentioned in Part 1, and will most likely be addressed in all parts of the series, it is important to note that children who have an interest in Roblox and have access to Youtube are likely to look up gamers playing Roblox. This is another way children can be exposed to violent content or learn more about what games to access to involve themselves in that specific gameplay. Youtube videos about Roblox are typically advertised or present as silly and exciting and are very appealing to younger children.
It’s crucial for parents and caregivers to be aware of the prevalence and opportunity a game like Roblox provides and guide children in developing positive online (and offline) behaviors. Encouraging open conversations about the impact of violence in media and monitoring online activity can help protect children from falling into patterns of aggression or becoming victims. We want children to be protected from victimization and harmful content, practice self control, and have an attitude of an upstander!
We again encourage parents to take the time to understand the game themselves and how their own child uses it and decide if having access to the application is what’s in the best interest of their child.
If you have questions or would like help navigating next steps, please reach out to josh@preventionstartswithparents.com.
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