Parents' Guide to

Roblox

Roblox Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Erin Brereton By Erin Brereton , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 13+

Chance to design games, but also potential for iffy content.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 13+?

reported that she has seen characters "rape" other characters, and videos of avatar sexual assaults occurring on the site can be found on YouTube. Sexual acts aren't visually shown, but surrounding dialogue and images of characters being held against their will are reminiscent of this violent abuse.</p> ">

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 10+

Based on 2,213 parent reviews

age 16+

Parents be Careful

Don't make the same mistake I did. This is not a good game for kids, preteens. While there is alot of " innocent" games and conversations going on ...but on the flip side alot of adult content , sexting , pressing to "date", drama, gossip . My teen got involved in a Discord app with people she met in Roblox. It's not good. I was stunned with the conversations I found. Parents please be careful.
age 5+

'Customer Support' is pure garbage

Terrible support. They will literally steal your money, make you jump through a bunch of hoops, and you still won't get reimbursed. 'Customer Support' is pure garbage

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are created and used for personalised advertisements.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2213 ):
Kids say (5133 ):

This creativity-based website features a never-ending (and continually evolving) supply of creative, fun challenges to explore -- that's the beauty of offering designs from thousands of budding developers. A number of Roblox's user-contributed items, which range from simple obstacle course games to virtual cities, offer an exciting, amusing, and inspiring experience. In addition to checking out available games, kids can also flex their imagination via a design tool that lets them fashion their own games and environments. Unfortunately, though, because many contributors are amateur designers, kids may come across rendering problems, on-screen flicker, and some extremely frustrating gameplay, particularly when navigating mazes or jumping. Users can also potentially encounter inappropriate chat and other content. A number have reported problematic interactions with strangers, and there are lots of examples of violent and overtly sexual content and predatory behavior that have been documented in news sources.

Roblox gets high marks for encouraging exploration, interaction, and, above all, huge amounts of creativity in its users. Kids can theoretically begin as player/explorers and evolve into experienced users and developers. In addition, popular titles could potentially result in young designers making some cash off their inventions. Just be aware that some games they play may be violent, depending on what a creator has placed into a particular experience. And although the site says it proactively filters inappropriate content, a fairly well-publicized 2018 incident in which a user said her 7-year-old daughter's avatar was "gang-raped" on a playground -- along with the fact that Roblox "rape scenes" can be found on YouTube -- suggests some extremely iffy stuff may make it through. Parents may also want to check chat programs that their kids are using to communicate with other players in Roblox games. Other reported incidents have involved players using personally created Discord servers to direct Roblox users to "condo games," where inappropriate sexual content, language, and potential grooming by predators may take place. Parents will likely want to supervise their child's site use to make sure they're viewing only safe content and not interacting with strangers.

Website Details

  • Subjects: Language & Reading : following directions, presenting to others, Arts : drawing, playing
  • Skills: Creativity : combining knowledge, imagination, Self-Direction : goal-setting, set objectives, work to achieve goals, Communication : asking questions, multiple forms of expression, Tech Skills : digital creation, using and applying technology
  • Genre: Gaming
  • Pricing structure: Paid, Free
  • Last updated: May 26, 2021

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