Is Roblox Safe for Kids? A Roblox App Review for Parents

Harmful Content 😲

As with any other platform that has user-generated content and an in-game chat feature, there’s always the chance that kids can run into inappropriate content while playing. This can include profanity, sexual content, drugs/alcohol, and more. The games themselves are often similar to mainstream video games, with simulated violence (players can kill and be killed).

Another issue to watch out for is scams. Robux, the in-game currency you can use to purchase upgrades and avatar accessories, can be obtained in a couple of different ways. You can purchase it with real money, receive it through Roblox Premium, or earn it through creating games. Make sure your child knows to ignore players who are offering free Robux — they’re most likely phishing scams.

Lastly, a quick heads up — many Roblox players also use Discord, a popular messaging app among gamers. Due to Roblox’s strict chat filters, users will move their conversations to Discord where even more harmful content — not to mention potential predators — can find your child. Roblox even blocks the word “Discord” in their chats to prevent this from happening, but there are always workarounds. Words like “cord”, “kord”, “deskord”, and “dis” are commonly used to bypass the filters. Be sure to either block Discord or closely monitor their activity to help keep them safe.

Predation 🚨

Roblox’s user base, while kid-heavy, is composed of users of all ages. Because of this, there’s always the chance that potential predators could attempt to communicate with underage users. Fortunately, Roblox heavily invests in keeping content in the chat app clean.

Parents should know that some games on Roblox have features that imitate social media apps. For example, a game called “LifeTogether RP” allows users to use a smartphone with an app that looks and works exactly like Snapchat. Users can take snaps of their avatars and send text chats within this Snapchat app to anyone on the server. Roblox’s chat filters do apply to these messages, however, it does open up another way for kids to message other users within Roblox.

Privacy 🔒

Along with the parental controls (discussed below), Roblox’s privacy tools can help protect your kid. From the settings menu, you can choose who (if anyone) can message and chat with your child, along with who can invite them to join them in private servers. And like with all social media platforms and apps, make sure your kid picks an unidentifiable user name (i.e., no real names, school mascots, or birth years) and keeps their bio (which is public) free of personal info.

Parental Controls ✅

When it comes to robust parental controls and dedication to helping protect younger players, Roblox really walks the walk. Here are just a few of the ways the company safeguards kids.

Chat filters

Roblox filters all chats to help prevent inappropriate content and personally identifiable information from being displayed. Over 400 human moderators help review content that gets flagged by the filter’s AI. Things may slip through the cracks occasionally — no filter is perfect — but it’s definitely a good effort. 

Parent PINs

This really sets Roblox apart from other games and social media platforms. When you set parental controls, you can lock them in place with a PIN code. Many other apps will allow you to toggle on safety settings, but they can be turned off by the child at any time.

Age verification

One of Roblox’s newest features will soon be voice chat for users over 13, and they’re rolling out an age verification tool in an attempt to help enforce the age limit. Users will have to upload a photo of their government-issued ID along with a selfie to prove that it’s actually them in the picture. 

Restricted mode

The Account Restrictions feature makes it so that absolutely no one can send your child messages or chat with them. These restrictions also limit the games kids can play to a pre-approved, age-appropriate list.

Monitoring

Parents can log in to their kid’s account and see nearly everything they’ve been doing on the app, including:

• Group chats
• Private messages
• Friends and followers 
• Virtual item purchases and trade history 
• Creations such as games, items, sounds, and more
• Recently played games

Bark also provides help for Roblox. We’re here to help you keep your kid safe by allowing you to:

• Monitor content searches and sent chats on Android devices and the Bark Phone.
• Block Roblox entirely, if needed.
• Manage when your child can play Roblox throughout the day.

So, should my kid download it?

Is Roblox safe for kids? We think that for middle schoolers and above, Roblox is a fairly safe app. The parental controls lock down a lot of potentially worrisome features, and the company seems dedicated to providing a decent environment for younger players. Bark can also monitor sent Roblox chats and searches on Android devices, helping to make it even safer.