Is there a parent in the world who hasn’t heard of Roblox?
The gaming platform has upward of 111 million daily users and has solidified itself as a firm kid favorite. The simple and colorful graphics, addictive gameplay, and limitless creative possibilities add up to make Roblox a huge hit with children everywhere.
According to our 2025 report, Roblox was the most popular gaming app globally, with kids spending an average of 1 hour 16 minutes per day playing on mobile and 2 hours 17 on desktop.
Although Roblox has good points, there are key safety issues parents need to be aware of. We’ve shared them along with 7 tips for keeping your child safe while they have fun in the Roblox universe.
What is Roblox?
Roblox is an online gaming platform and app that allows users to play and create games, or experiences as they’re referred to on the platform. Users can choose to play open-world games created by others or create their own using the building tool, Roblox Studio. Although Roblox itself and some games are free, many are pay-to-play or encourage users to make in-game purchases with Robux, the game’s own virtual currency.
Each Roblox user is represented by an avatar – a character that can be customized with free and purchasable body parts, accessories, clothing, and much more.
It might seem like Roblox is a recent addition to the digital world, but it’s been around for quite a while. The first incarnation of Roblox was released in 2006, making it older than the iPhone and an antique in technological terms. The platform had a relatively small following for years until its popularity exploded in the late 2010s and even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic. While their parents were Zooming, kids were whiling away lockdowns around the world by playing, creating, and chatting to their friends on Roblox.
Why do kids like Roblox?
“Like” might be an understatement. Obsessed may be more accurate.
The pandemic drew a lot of kids to Roblox as the games entertained and allowed them to socialize with their friends when real-life interactions were impossible. Parents would connect with other parents to arrange gaming sessions for their little ones, relieved knowing their kids could keep up their social connections during a difficult time.
Along with the cute Lego-like characters and colorful worlds, there are several possible reasons Roblox has become such a hit among kids.
- It’s very social. Games can be places for your child to hang out and chat with their friends.
- Kids can enjoy open-ended play. As a “sandbox game”, Roblox allows the player to explore the game environment freely – without being constrained to achieving specific objectives.
- It’s a creative outlet. Kids love being able to customize their avatars, build houses, and even create games on Roblox.
- It has Adopt Me! This multi-player game within the Roblox universe is hugely popular with kids as they spend hours adopting, trading, raising, and caring for virtual pets – from cats and dogs to dragons and unicorns.
- It’s just fun. Some games require teamwork and creative thinking, whereas others lie on the “silly fun” end of the spectrum. Either way, Roblox is a super-engaging and creative outlet for kids.
What age restrictions are in place on Roblox?
Generally speaking, Roblox doesn’t have a minimum age for its users. However, the platform does restrict features for younger users, and accounts of those under 13 must be controlled by a parent or guardian.
Users under 9 can access content rated “Minimal” and “Mild”, and “Moderate” only when parental consent is given – moderate content can include mild violence or crude humor. They also need permission to use chat, which is turned off by default.
Users aged 9-12 can access Moderate content and can chat with peers in their own age group or with “Trusted Connections” (verified relationships with specific friends).
Users aged 13-17 can access many more features, including being able to:
- add their email or phone number to their Roblox account
- DM other users on Roblox (after an age check)
- Use their phone number to find and connect with friends
- Use voice chat (after an age check)
- Unlock Party Voice (real-time voice chat with up to 6 people) and chat without filters with Trusted Connections
- Get People You May Know suggestions
- Become eligible for Roblox-served advertisements
In most regions, once a user turns 13, their parents will no longer be able to manage their privacy settings, or screen time and spending limits.
How does Roblox check a child’s age?
Starting in 2026, Roblox uses facial age verification to estimate a user’s age and give them appropriate access to chat features. Facial age verification uses AI to analyze images and videos of a user’s face and examine their features. Users aged 13 and above can use ID verification.
Once a user’s age is verified, they are placed into age brackets to prevent cross-generational chatting. For example, a user in the 9-12 bracket can only chat with peers in their own group or the adjacent under-9 and 13-15 categories. Adults are effectively blocked from communicating with minors unless they are confirmed as Trusted Connections. For a user over 18 to create a Trusted Connection with someone younger, they must prove they have a real-life relationship via QR code scanning or contact importing.
However, parents shouldn’t put all their trust in Roblox’s facial age verification. There have been reports of adults being mistakenly labeled as kids and placed in the wrong age group – and vice versa – as well as instances of users fooling the age verification system with deepfakes, or by drawing mustaches or beards on their faces.
More worryingly, age-verified accounts for minors have been found for sale on eBay for as little as $4, potentially giving predators another way to slip through Roblox’s defences.
Parents may also feel hesitant to complete age-verification checks. As a growing number of platforms require ID-based age verification, many people are feeling fatigued and wary of repeatedly being asked to share sensitive information – which may lead some parents of Roblox players to look for ways to skip these steps.
Does Roblox have other parental controls?
Yes, Roblox has parental controls to help manage and protect a child’s experience on the platform. To set these up, you’ll need to create a Roblox account with parent privileges and link it to your child’s account. Roblox automatically applies stricter default controls for under-13s, which a parent can lock and manage from their linked account.
A linked account allows you to:
- Select a content maturity level that you are comfortable with your child being exposed to.
- Block individual experiences, regardless of their content maturity level.
- Decide who can chat with your child.
- Set screen time limits.
- Limit who can join your child’s private servers, and whose servers they can join.
- View, block, and report your child’s connections.
- Set monthly spending limits so your child doesn’t blow the family savings on Robux.
While Roblox’s parental controls are strong, they are not foolproof. If a parent does not link their account, kids can change safety settings or enter a fake birthday to bypass restrictions.
Is Roblox safe for kids?
With over half of all 7-9-year-olds playing, it’s not surprising that parents of young children are concerned about the safety aspects of Roblox – and they should be.
After spending time on Roblox and speaking to other parents about their kids’ experiences on the platform, here are the main safety concerns we think you should be aware of.
Potential for dangerous interactions
Like with most multi-player gaming platforms, Roblox users can send messages and chat to others in-game as well as on the Roblox app or website. Even with age verification, text filters, and human-monitored chat, there’s still the potential for sexual predators, cyberbullies, sextortionists, and other dangerous users to connect with your child on Roblox.
“Condos” and inappropriate content
One of Roblox’s main appeals is the freedom a user has to create games, avatar clothing, and more – but on the flip side, this means young players can encounter things a parent wouldn’t want them to.
Despite Roblox having rules and making efforts to moderate user-generated content, plenty slips through the cracks. Examples include games featuring simulated sex acts, graphic violence, and bad language.
The worst of this takes place in “condos” – basically sex-based games that blatantly violate Roblox’s terms of service. Condos are where users go to talk about sex and to simulate sex via their avatars. According to the BBC, “much of what is written on chats in condos is unprintable on a grown-up news website, let alone a children’s game.”
Condos are usually only discoverable for a short time, often less than an hour, as the Roblox team plays whack-a-mole trying to remove them as new ones appear.
Online dating
Roblox isn’t a dating platform and its rules prohibit chat that’s sexual in nature, but that doesn’t stop ODers (online daters) from using games such as Brookhaven or Royale High to find romantic partners.
While most ODers are just looking to connect with other ODers, knowing that adults are using Roblox for this purpose is a red flag for any parent.
In-app purchases
Roblox is free to download and use. The platform makes its money by selling Robux which users can spend on games, clothing and accessories for their avatars, and more.
Some kids have become big spenders on the platform – without their parents knowing. There are stories from all over the world of parents discovering monster credit card bills thanks to their Roblox-loving kids.
Scams
Scams are rife in most corners of the internet and Roblox is no exception. On Roblox, scammers often exploit the naivety of children to con them out of Robux or gain access to their accounts and personal information.
There are several sophisticated scams to be aware of, including “free Robux”. This is when a user is promised Robux in exchange for completing surveys, clicking on links, or sharing personal information. Players give away sensitive information or access to their accounts for Robux that never materialize.
Trading scams are also common. For example, a scammer might offer a high-value item for several lower-value ones, only to swap the item for a worthless one at the last minute.
Gaming addiction
On average, kids spend over 2 hours daily on Roblox – but some are clocking up many more.
Around 2% of children and adolescents are considered to be addicted to gaming – and yes, gaming addiction is a real thing. Health organizations have officially recognized the condition Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) as a pattern of excessive and compulsive gaming behavior that leads to significant impairment or distress.
Roblox’s creativity, challenge, novelty, strong social aspect, and in-game purchases hammer that dopamine release button and keep kids coming back for more.
7 ways to make Roblox safer for your child
Roblox’s popularity isn’t going away any time soon – and despite the potential dangers, the platform offers kids valuable opportunities to play, create, and hang out with their friends.
If your child is a Robloxian, or you’re considering allowing your child to play, here are 7 ways to help make their Roblox experience a safe and happy one.
1. Show an interest
Talk to your child about their favorite games, their avatar, and ask if you can watch them play – or even play yourself. This will give you a better understanding of Roblox and open the doors to conversation.
As well as discovering areas where you might need to tighten safety settings, taking an interest may make your child feel more comfortable talking to you about troubling things they encounter on the platform.
2. Ensure your child’s account is for the correct age
Roblox allows access to games appropriate to the user’s age and restricts chat options for younger users to keep them from being contacted by adults. Unfortunately, Roblox’s facial age verification has been known to estimate the wrong age, and even be tricked.
3. Create an account with parent privileges and link it to your child’s account
Linking your Roblox account with your child’s lets you manage and lock in their safety and privacy settings, allowing you to manage screen time, control chat and social settings, restrict access to age-rated content, and more. Linking accounts is essential for players under 13 and strongly recommended for those aged 13 to 16.
4. Disable your child’s chat or set to friends-only
Once you’ve linked your account, you can set and lock safety restrictions related to chat, the camera, setting spending limits, and more.
To prevent strangers from interacting with your child, we strongly recommend you limit the people who can contact your child to “friends” or “no one”. This is the default setting for under 13s.
Ensure your child knows how to block users too.
5. Make sure your child knows the dangers of talking to strangers online
You probably remember the “stranger danger” lectures from your childhood, but children today have to be careful online as well as off.
Make sure they know the risks of interacting with strangers online, how to identify a predator, and ways to protect themselves from potential harm.
6. Allow your kids to play in common areas only
When left to use Roblox behind closed doors, your child may be more likely to talk to strangers, play inappropriate games, or attempt to bypass your restrictions.
A good practice is to only allow play in your home’s living room, kitchen, or family room. This will make it easy for you to supervise their playing, see changes in their behavior, and be able to step in immediately if something worrying happens.
7. Use external parental controls
For most parents, Roblox’s in-built parental controls won’t be enough. For example, they don’t allow you to monitor voice chat, control your child’s screen time, or block the app from being opened.
Perhaps the biggest drawback of relying on Roblox’s parental controls is that they require your child’s cooperation to set up, and you have to trust they won’t just create a new account without you knowing.
In conjunction with Roblox’s controls, a universal parental control tool like Qustodio can help your child enjoy a safe experience on the platform. For example, with Qustodio, you can get alerts when something concerning comes up in your child’s voice chats on Roblox, such as aggressive or bullying language, inappropriate or adult conversations, and personal questions that cross boundaries.
Qustudio also allows you to:
- Keep tabs on the time your child spends playing Roblox
- Set time limits to help prevent gaming addiction
- Block the Roblox app from being opened
- Receive an alert when they first use Roblox
- Pause the internet at the push of a button.
Is Roblox safe for kids? Qustodio’s final recommendation
Roblox is a hugely popular gaming platform amongst children of all ages. The platform allows them to play, explore, create, and socialize in an engaging open-world environment. However, its popularity among young users also brings several safety concerns that parents need to be aware of, including the potential for adult-child interactions and exposure to adult content.
With the help of parental controls, supervision, education, and conversation, we can help our kids have a fun and safe time on their favorite Roblox games.
