Roblox is an online platform with a huge selection of games. Most of these games are free which is probably the biggest reason why it is so popular amongst kids.
If you are a parent, chances are your kid is playing Roblox either alone or with their friends.
Roblox was created by Roblox Corporation, an American company based in California.
It was officially released in 2006 and it has become popular during the latest years, especially since the pandemic as this platform was perceived as a great way for kids to stay in touch with their friends.
The Roblox games
You can find a vast selection of video games from different categories.
The way it works is that you make an account, browse all the different games on the home page, pick one and enter it.
The majority are multiplayer so you will often end up in a lobby and wait for the round to begin, or you can start immediately, together with other players.
There are games where you can play solo or in small teams of two or three.
But it’s also common for random players to be together in the same stage as you.
Among the most popular categories of games you can find:
- Racing games
- Building games
- Puzzles
- Obbys (Obstacle course stage)
- Simulators (which is a different word for tycoon games). To be honest, I find this type of game very boring and repetitive and for the same reasons these are so popular amongst kids.
- Shooter games
- RPG games
The graphics are not advanced and one can compare it to Minecraft as everything resembles blocks stacked on each other. In general, all the games use very geometrical-like graphics, solid colours, and not much texture on elements and even when texture is used one can compare it to the late 90s graphics style.
But this isn’t a problem amongst the younger users and Roblox is smartly using the word “experience”. So each game is an “experience”. I suppose graphics are not that important, which is a valid point.
Roblox Parental Controls and Security settings
At first, there is nothing suspicious about these games. However, since this is also a social platform where you can add friends and chat, either in public or in private, Roblox has been a place where there have been cases of predators trying to take advantage of younger users, either financially or even sexually.
Additionally, some games are not suitable for all ages so you don’t want your young child to see something that is adult-rated, with elements of gore, horror, violence or sexually related content.
If you have young kids it is strongly advised to use all the parental controls available in this platform and monitor closely not only the games your kids play but also your kid’s friends.
Roblox offers various levels of age restrictions which you can access under Settings/Parental Controls:
- 17+ (Suitable for ages 17 and older)
- 13+ (Suitable for ages 13 and older)
- 9+ (Suitable for ages 9 and older)
- All Ages (Suitable for everyone)
Additionally, if you go into settings you can deactivate the general chat which is highly recommended. Go to Settings/ Privacy and choose how other users can interact with you.
You can also go to Security and activate 2-factor authentication. This is great for protecting your account against all kinds of fraud.
Roblox is not all that bad
To finish this article on a positive note, let me say that Roblox can be a fun experience and a great way to socialize with friends online.
Even I play Roblox together with my son and we have fun moments together on this platform.
That’s why I highly recommend taking an hour and carefully going through the settings. It will require some work on your behalf as a parent, but it’s an important step to do to protect your kids online.
As with everything, it’s important to have an open communication with your kids, spend quality time with them, explain calmly and reasonably the dangers but also the fun aspects of each platform and of course monitor them. It’s very important that you as a parent are close to your kids and talk about all the dangers but also opportunities of each platform.
Stay safe and have fun!