Roblox is an online game that has been on the video game market for over a decade. It has been very popular among children due to the possibility of creating their own world and interacting with other people.
But like any online game, children are exposed to danger. In the next article, we’ll talk more about this game and what we can do to protect our children.
How does playing Roblox affect children and what can be done to protect them?
Index( )
- What is the Roblox gaming platform?
- Main risks of the Roblox platform for children
- It can cause addiction
- Contact with strangers
- Content not suitable for minors
- How can I protect children when playing Roblox?
- Activate parental controls
- Limit the amount of time they play
What is the Roblox gaming platform?
Roblox is one of the most popular video games among children. It’s an online multiplayer game that anyone can play, regardless of age. It involves creating your own game using Roblox’s proprietary development tools.
It’s a LEGO system where you can create your own worlds. You’ll find survival games , dungeon crawls, and monster-slaying adventures. After registering, you’ll be able to:
- Create your avatar which you can customize with clothing, accessories, and facial expressions.
- Create games.
- Share your creations.
- Join groups.
- Chat with other people.
The game has its own currency called Robux, which you can use for many things such as purchasing special outfits, animations for your avatar, skills, and weapons.
You can obtain this currency by purchasing it, as part of a Premium subscription , through trading, or by getting another user to donate to you. You can also obtain it by charging other users to play the games you’ve created and for items in your games.
The value of the Premium memberships offered by Roblox are:
- $4.99 USD per month for 450 Robux.
- $9.99 USD per month for 1,000 Robux.
- $19.99 USD per month for 2,200 Robux.
Main risks of the Roblox platform for children
Roblox is a very attractive game for children because of its features, as they can play with other people and interact with them. There are thousands of different games to play.
Additionally, your favorite YouTubers also use this platform and create virtual worlds. But it’s not all good; there are risks involved in using this platform, and we’re not talking about problems with Roblox . Below, we’ll explain what they mean.
It can cause addiction
Like any other internet game, it can cause addiction, so excessive use must be controlled , as it can cause developmental disorders in children.
It’s important to establish a schedule for your child to play, and it shouldn’t be every day. This way, your child can engage in other activities for entertainment, rest, and complete homework and other tasks at home. Warning signs that your child has an addiction include:
- They only talk about the game when they are away from the console or PC.
- If they are not playing, they have mood swings, feel sad, become aggressive, or become defensive.
- They spend a lot of time playing.
- He shows no interest in playing with other children or interacting with his friends.
- Stop doing things like eating, grooming, or sleeping to keep playing.
- Use the game to escape from reality.
Contact with strangers
Roblox has a chat room for its users to interact; conversations are filtered, and inappropriate language is replaced with symbols. It also has human monitors who oversee the content. Despite these measures, some people manage to break through the barriers, so it’s important for parents to be vigilant.
It’s vital to explain to children the dangers of the internet, such as not accepting private messages from strangers, not sharing their personal information, and not moving the conversation to platforms like Facebook or other social media platforms.
Parents are advised to enable the contact settings in the privacy section to prevent their child from chatting with other people or limit conversations to friends only.
Content not suitable for minors
Every day we see an increase in inappropriate content online, so it’s important for parents to be involved in what their children do online. Roblox was created for children, but people of any age can join in.
The freedom the platform offers to create their own games has led malicious users to break the rules with sexual content. There are games known as “Condos” where sex is openly discussed and practiced through their avatars.
The platform tries to prevent inappropriate topics from developing by restricting content from inappropriate users, which is detected through software filters and the oversight of more than 2,000 moderators.
How can I protect children when playing Roblox?
There are several steps you can take as a parent to protect your child from potential dangers in the Roblox game.
Activate parental controls
Roblox doesn’t offer parental controls, but it does provide options for changing account settings and locking your account with a PIN to prevent changes without your permission. It’s important not to forget this PIN. To activate it, follow these steps:
- Sign in to Roblox with your child’s account.
- Click on ‘Settings’ located in the upper right corner.
- Select ‘Security’.
- Activate the ‘Account PIN’ option.
- Enter a four-digit PIN.
- Done, you will no longer be able to make changes without this PIN.
There’s an “Account Controls” option, which will provide a safe environment for your child. Activating it will block access to unvetted content on the platform. This way, your child will only have access to verified games free of inappropriate content. “Contact Settings” is also disabled, so no one will be able to chat with the account owner.
Limit the amount of time they play
It’s important to establish a play schedule to prevent your child from developing a gambling addiction . Agree with your child on how many hours a day they’ll play; it’s recommended to keep it to less than three hours.
