Parents guide to Roblox and how your kids can play it safely

Parents guide to Roblox and how your kids can play it safely: How can I ensure my child’s safety while they play Roblox? When it comes to the well-known platform, this is the question that many parents find difficult to answer. Tech writer and gaming specialist Andy Robertson explains the game and safe gameplay strategies to ease your worries.

Despite having a peculiar appearance and sometimes being confused, Roblox has become a massive phenomenon among kids all over the globe, for parents in particular.

Similar to Minecraft before it, part of the reason kids like it so much is because parents don’t grasp it. That heightens the excitement but also raises questions about safety. You play a lot of Roblox online, after all.

Many falsehoods demonize Roblox, false scare tales, and bad advice on social media and even in the press. With guidance and education, kids can play it safely and have fun.

We’ve put up a brief tutorial to help you understand why Roblox is so popular and how to make sure your kids don’t receive any unpleasant shocks.

What is Roblox?

Roblox is a platform that allows users to build their online games, with the bulk of the material produced by “amateur” game developers working in Roblox Studio. These game developers can develop and distribute games to the community using simple technologies. In addition, this enables them to test out concepts that would not be able to get funding for a commercial release.

These games may then be played by children all over the globe, often in a group setting, online, via an application for a mobile device or tablet, or through a web browser.

At short competitive rounds played with others, games like Prison Escape, Work at a Pizza Place, Shark Attack, and Disaster Survival provide a lighthearted opportunity to explore adult-like settings.

The games on Roblox are a reflection of the kind of creative play that is often seen in playgrounds. A youngster initiates a game and gets others to join in, and the rules gradually alter as the group determines how to have fun together. Using Roblox Studio, developers can rapidly update and modify their games to satisfy the requirements of the massive player community.

Roblox’s ever-evolving and ever-expanding library of games significantly contributes to the fact that so many people love to play it. This, together with the millions of other players to compete against in challenges, creates the ideal experience for kids.

However, there are some risks to be mindful of, which we’ll go over today, just as with any online game.

Roblox age ratings

Roblox does not adhere to the same stringent age ratings as material that commercial firms produce. This is because users develop the content on Roblox. On the other hand, PEGI has changed its classification from PEGI 7 to Parental Guidance Recommended due to the large quantity of material that users contributed.

Every piece of material that can be found on Roblox comes with age guidelines. The following are the categories:

• all ages: Everyone can enjoy the material, which contains just a modest quantity of unrealistic blood or only somewhat violent stuff.
• 9+: A more significant number of instances of minor violence or large volumes of unrealistic blood are included in the material, which is appropriate for anybody aged nine and older.
• 13+: There are regular instances of more severe violence and tiny quantities of realistic blood, but the material is appropriate for anybody aged 13 and up.

The games being developed on Roblox are filtered and checked for whether or not they include improper imagery or language.

In one of the games that we tested, Hotline, players were charged with knocking each other down with weapons or knives and then bashing each other’s heads until they died from blood splatters.

The next step is to ensure that the Account Restrictions option in the connected Roblox account is set to the appropriate value. Because of this, the games that may be played are restricted to those that Roblox has chosen. However, it is essential to remember that if a child is under 13, this does not limit the games they play.

Roblox in-game purchases

Children are encouraged to use real money to make purchases inside the Roblox game, even though it is free to play. In the games, children may acquire Robux for cash, which can be used to purchase other equipment and clothing.

To prevent any unforeseen transactions, you should ensure that your systems are capable of monitoring credit cards and encrypting them with a password. Before your kid plays the game, it is essential to have a conversation with them about the commercial component of the game.

Even though all games usually function without any extra material, they will also provide players with information on the advantages of spending money. In this manner, game developers can generate revenue from their developed works using Roblox Studio.

Roblox parental controls

To guarantee that Roblox is a highly secure platform for younger users, the game has additional parental restrictions that may be used. When looking for direction, it is recommended that you visit the Roblox website.

Initially, you must provide the accurate date of birth for the account associated with your kid. This will cause the proper safe chat to be activated, which will use a greater degree of screening. In addition, this implies that you will be provided with a separate parent login, which will allow you to monitor your kid’s interactions.

All of the games you play should be ones the Roblox team has selected.

• Log in to roblox.com
• Click the Gear icon in the top right
• Select Settings then Security
• Enable the Account Restrictions slider

Monitoring your child’s account

Account activity may be monitored in several different ways on Roblox. If you are signed in, you will be able to see the following histories from the sections that are relevant to them:

• The function known as communication & Party, which can be located in the bottom right corner of the applications, allows for direct and small group communication. Individual conversation histories are shown there for your perusal. Friends and Friends of Friends are the only categories that may use this functionality.
• Sending and receiving private messages (Messages)
• Followers and Friends (Friends)
• Purchase and trade history of virtual items (only available in the browser version of My Transactions)
• Works of art like games, products, noises, advertisements, and so on (created in the browser alone).
• Played games that have been played recently (Home, Keep Playing, or My Recent)

Roblox online interactions

Roblox is an online game, meaning players may interact with one another and communicate with one another in various ways. If friend requests have been issued, this may be done verbally or via written language.

You may easily limit these interactions by going to the settings for your account and doing the following:

• Log in to roblox.com
• Click the Gear icon in the top right
• Select Settings then Privacy
• Restrict interactions via Content Settings and Other Settings

It is essential to clarify that this does not prevent Roblox from accepting friend requests. Consequently, checking in on the Friend Requests page on the website is necessary to guarantee that outsiders are not being approved.

Roblox on Xbox

The Xbox was the first platform to get the free game a few years ago. On the Xbox, the parental controls operate somewhat differently than they do on a personal computer, a Mac, a tablet, or via mobile gaming.

Although the Xbox includes controls for friend requests, Roblox does not have these features since they are regarded as a separate “in-game” buddy. However, because of the terms of service that Microsoft has for game developers, it is impossible for gamers to establish new friends while playing on Xbox. They are only allowed to see pals that they have previously created on the tablet, computer, or Mac.

You also can further restrict the interactions that you have with other people on the Xbox by doing the following:

• Start Roblox
• Select the Account Settings page
• Identify the Linked Account
• Apply restrictions via roblox.com for this account.

To restrict the people your kids may play with, turn off cross-platform gameplay (note: Xbox players cannot communicate with players on other platforms since Roblox does not yet enable cross-platform messaging).

Roblox police warnings

That should make it apparent what Roblox is and how to protect your children from harm while playing it. Finally, it should be noted that contrary to popular belief, Kent Police did not send many tweets, Facebook postings, emails, and school gate talk about police warnings on nudity and stranger danger in the game.

The actual risk here is that it will frighten parents into outlawing the game, eliminating the chance for constructive and beneficial discussions about acceptable online behavior. Playing Roblox as a family and keeping electronics and consoles in common areas are the most significant ways to reduce these threats.

Loot boxes and gambling

A lot of online video games include loot boxes. Users may generally buy stuff at random and unlock prizes. But from game to play, the artifacts’ rarities might vary. The word “box” refers to objects, although there are many other ways that these interactions might occur. A user may, for instance, throw a penny into a fountain to win a randomly selected virtual object.

According to Roblox’s Terms of Use, creators who charge users for random virtual things (like loot boxes) must disclose the likelihood that a user will obtain each sort of item. However, some users liken treasure boxes to gambling since they are unsure what they will get.

Because of this, many people have questioned whether kids should be able to purchase loot boxes. Some even demanded that kids be prohibited from buying them (either with Robux or other currencies). As of July 2022, treasure boxes are still legal in the UK.

A few Creators also produce games with a gambling theme. Users cannot, however, earn actual money while playing these games. Instead, they get Robux. The same guidelines as above apply if they may acquire things; users must expressly state the likelihood of getting each item.

Is it a part of the metaverse?

Thanks to Meta’s efforts and the efforts of websites like Roblox, the metaverse is growing in popularity. It’s a single location where people may engage, chat, play, shop, and more. This might even include switching between platforms with ease.

Roblox is a good match for this concept since it allows users to participate directly in games, concerts, and other events on the site. They produce material for one another, which is a significant metaverse concept.

The concept of “human co-experience: people doing things together in synchronous 3D spaces” served as its foundation. This suggests that it is a significant component of the metaverse.