Is Roblox safe for children? Explained

Since its inception in 2006, Roblox has gone from strength to strength. Originally founded by two key developers – David Baszucki and Erik Cassel – the online game creation platform has grown from a fledgling company into a global phenomenon, serving over 58.8 million active users (as of Q3 2022). While the road to success has been a steady but dominant path, there have been many challenges that impacted the company’s momentum and growth.

Our vision from the beginning was to build a whole new category of human coexistence – nothing less than the realization of the next phase of human interaction. We envisioned an online space where people from anywhere in the world could share their experiences with friends just like they would in person.

According to Harvard Business Review, David Baszucki – CEO of Roblox

With such a rapidly growing gaming platform, some parents have taken offense at Roblox, declaring it unsafe for children. However, the reality is that any online experience where other people interact with each other comes with its own potential risks, including bullying and inappropriate behavior. Personally, from the many video games I’ve experienced during my time in gaming media (now over eight years), I can safely say that Roblox is one of the safest environments for young adults to exist virtually.

This is where my personal experience comes into play: I often play Roblox with my ten-year-old daughter and have for many years. It’s been really interesting to see them grow alongside such a young, up-and-coming platform, but what really helped illustrate the power of Roblox was living through the recent global pandemic.

With a family stuck in a humble home like ours, some of the simple everyday things could prove challenging. Sure, my little one had Zoom calls with school and calls from family members, but the real hurdle was her lack of real connection with friends her age. And that’s where Roblox came in.

Roblox became not only a virtual playground for them to meet their friends, but also a gateway to another world, much like the closet in Narnia. It quickly became a part of her daily routine, and it was nice to see her forming friendships with other like-minded youngsters who were actively collaborating to build projects in Build to Survive or climb to the top of an obstacle course in Tower of Hell together climb . Honestly, I can still see the smile on her face when she’s happily hatching eggs in Adopt Me or happily collecting companions in Pet Simulator X. Those warm, cozy feelings will forever be burned into my mind’s eye.

Fast forward a few years and things have largely returned to normal, and that gets me right here and now. We still play Roblox together as a family, and if you don’t do it too, I urge you to give it a try.

Anecdotally, I’ve had times where I’ve met other parents who refused to treat their children the same way. They reject gaming as just a kid’s activity, and they can’t think of anything worse than sitting down and playing a video game with their kids. I mean, that’s almost a whole other article, but my main message is: Make an effort to play Roblox with your kids. Spend time with them in their virtual world. Just have fun being with them in the moment and doing something they love too.

I propose this for several reasons. Not only is it a great way to connect with your child, but it also helps you get a glimpse of how they’re spending their time virtually. In other words, the things that worry us the most as parents — the aforementioned bullying or inappropriate behavior — can be quickly nipped in the bud if you take a little more interest in your child’s hobby.

“But won’t it cost me an arm and a leg?” I hear you asking through the screen. Don’t worry because Roblox is free to play, so it won’t cost you a penny to download, and it’s also widely available on almost all mobile devices. There’s no reason not to try!

I’m sorry if this sounds super cheesy, but Roblox has definitely helped bring my daughter and I a little bit closer, and I respect any game that has the power to do so.

At the moment we are busy playing a number of different, diverse offerings. Speed ​​Draw is a wonderful art game that gives you a few minutes to draw simple things like an animal or an inanimate object like a house or some cheese. At the end of the round, players vote on which artwork they think is the best, and there’s even a small podium at the end for the top three artists. It’s pretty healthy stuff!

Elsewhere there’s UNOfficial, which is basically a multiplayer version of UNO but with chirping music. Essentially, it’s become a must-have for our chill-out routine before bed. And finally, as a family, we’re all addicted to a little game called Zombie Army Simulator, which is essentially an idle auto-battler where you level up your minions and improve their stats.

Really, it’s just great playing video games with my little whippersnapper. And if you are a parent, I urge you to do the same. What do you have to lose?