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Is Roblox Safe? 

Hello Parents, if you are one of those who is wondering if Roblox is a safe and enriching game for your children, here are a few key points to consider.

I have broken them down into three categories. First build Awareness about the eco system, Educate yourself and Empower yourself and your child to thrive.

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Awareness:

This Roblox Craze:

Ask any child why they do something over and over again, and the answer is going to be, “Because, it is fun!”

And that’s exactly what children seem to enjoy about Roblox. As a robotics and coding teacher, I have children in my classes who have been playing Roblox for 5 years now, many of them starting their journey when they were 7 or 8 years old.

Ever since smart phones have come into the main stream around 2007, digital transformation has taken a hold of our lives. And it’s no surprise that adults and children are increasingly living inside the virtual universe of different gaming experiences.

With nearly 60 million daily active players, Roblox is one such popular “metaverse” that children seem to love. Roblox is a video gaming platform that, like many of its competitors, allows for users to “Imagine, socialize, chat, play, create, interact and relate with others in many ways.” The Roblox Suite allows gamers to create their own game or create another world with friends or ‘virtual explorers’.

According to Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that supports research and campaigns for child-friendly laws and policies, Roblox is safe for users 13+ “based on continuing challenges with problematic content.”

The Advent Of P2W:

Video game manufacturers have found a creative way of keeping players hooked while also making big money for themselves. In online gaming, there is a practice of buying in-game items giving the player great advantage over others.

P2W, or “Pay to Win,” is the term used in gaming to describe games that let players buy assets or skills (such as stronger weaponry or more health points) that give them an edge over other players or NPCs (Non-Player Characters) in the game.

Roblox, a popular P2W game, in the past few months, has been emerging as a multiverse that is attracting many branded games onto the platform. They are games like Pet Simulator X, Sonic Speed Simulator, Miraculous RP to name a few.

What Is Robux?

Robux is virtual currency used by Roblox players to make in-game purchases. On Roblox, Robux can be used for a wide range of different things, such as unique abilities in games, armor, weapons, and other items.

Robux can be acquired in a variety of ways. They are available for purchase with actual money as a perk of a Roblox Premium subscription, or as Roblox gift cards. Robux can also be earned by charging Roblox users to play games you’ve created and by charging for items in your games. Robux can be given or traded, or they can be exchanged.

Although Roblox sets terms for its own currency, Robux, it doesn’t regulate it. As a result, the exchange rates for real cash and pay rates within in-game purchases vary based on the specific game and item that are being bought with Robux.

Source: Screengrab From Roblox Jailbreak Game

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Education:

Stories Of Stolen Robux:

News of horror stories about Roblox have become common. A single mom finds the hard way that her 7-year-old son had made in-app purchases from Google Play for the Roblox app and drained her savings before Christmas.

Mom finds out via email that she incurs PayPal charges because her child buys Robux using the Family sharing plan on Apple.

Or worst yet, children have become victims to grooming, blackmail or sexploitation from online predators. Of course, most kids don’t confide in their parents immediately because they fear getting banned from playing it altogether.

Beware Of Phishing Scams:

The FTC, Federal Trade Commission, describes Phishing as “a type of online scam that targets consumers by sending them an e-mail that appears to be from a well-known source. It asks the consumer to provide personal identifying information. Then a scammer uses the information to open new accounts, or invade the consumer’s existing accounts.”

The first indication of a phishing scam is that the offer is too good to be true. Parents must inform children that if anyone seems to offer them free Robux, it’s time to ignore them or block them.

In case you or your child falls prey to the scam, visit IdentityTheft.gov and follow the steps to protect yourself. You can also report phishing attempts by emailing reportphising@apwg.org. If you get a phishing scam through text, forward it to SPAM (7226).

Searching For Condos:

There are some games commonly referred to as “condos” and they are Roblox  multiplayer sex games. These games are generated by users, where people talk about sex and where their avatars can engage in virtual sex. As expected, here’s where Roblox rules cease to apply.

All you have to do is search for “condo” in the search bar on the site and games that display explicit scenes, naked avatars and crude language in the chat transcripts can manifest.

There’s no need to panic, there are many places where you can find Parental controls on Roblox.

Caution Against Role-Playing Games:

https://www.tiktok.com/@kirra_safeonsocial/video/7191856295220235521

Source: Screengrab From Roblox

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Empowerment:

Customizable Parental Controls:

The idea is not fret about how kids are “hopelessly” hooked onto their devices. The idea is to understand how kids have started to build their ecosystems online.

It is upto us to learn about the tools they are interested in and guide them in a way to increase the quality of their creativity and their interactions with their online friends.

And that is why, information is power. Roblox has a section for parents on its website which includes information about parental controls, chat filters and reporting abuse.

The app has customizable parental controls. It gives us power to give access to your child based on age recommendations, spending limits and restricting chat capabilities.

Reframe Their Play:

Encourage your child to understand how negotiation, time management and other practice business skills that they gain while playing can help them see how the real world around them works.

Ask them what they are building and what they are learning in the process. “How are to solving problems they face in their worlds with their creativity?”

And if you’re a kid at heart and love to play games for fun, ask yourself why you choose to spend time the way you do. Roblox is growing up into a 3D-world metaverse ready to engage and keep your attention.

Fewer Ads To Kids:

Like any platform that sees exponential growth and sustenance over the years, Roblox too has some bad actors who don’t have the wellbeing of the players in mind. Roblox is taking notice.

Along with updating the age restrictions, Roblox has updated its list of “prohibited advertising” categories. Recently banned content includes advertisements for NFTs and cryptocurrencies, online dating services, fortune tellers, funeral services, and even insects, including their byproducts and body parts. Users should experience safer and more enjoyable gaming with these changes.

Larry Magid, CEO and co-founder of ConnectSafely.org and a member of Roblox’s Trust & Safety Advisory Board commented: “Roblox’s rollout of their new advertising standards is well thought out and goes beyond what is standard practice online or even on TV.” Under the rules, all advertisers are now required to hide “all advertising content from users under the age of 13”.

Engage Their Thinking:

There’s no way the children of 21st century can get away without teaching a machine how to think. And that’s where the essential skills of programming and computational thinking come into play.

And what’s more, humans thrive the most when they can unleash their inner creativity and imagination to design and build products and worlds (in this case virtually) that have never existed before.

Kids will love Roblox because it allows them to be creative, independent, and part of a community. Additionally, there are countless opportunities for gaming and exploration, and it is simple to learn and play.

Asking them why they like the game, how they plan to design and build it. Asking questions fosters critical thinking, an essential ingredient of life skills for children.

Contribute And Create:

Roblox is trying to make a positive difference with its collaborations. For example, in April 2023, the role-playing game Seaboard City in collaboration with PETA Kids wants “Young players can level up their compassion by interacting on Roblox with friendly virtual animals, each of whom teaches fun facts and important lessons about treating everyone with kindness.”

In March of 2023, Comic Relief US today launched the Kids Relief campaign with a new experience Kids Relief Presents: Solarpunk Simulator on the social gaming platform Roblox. Funds raised support programs and initiatives that break the cycle of poverty by fostering empowerment, leadership, access to education, and economic growth opportunities for young people.

The point is there’s so much good that’s possible if we help our children understand the positive power of such platforms complete with its scale and reach. So, it is upto to us to encourage our children to explore their creativity and imagination in gaming. Ask them, “Why play, when you can create your own fabulous games?”

Here, explore more on Roblox installation and the minimum system requirements to play to get started.

Source: Unsplash

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Main Image Source: Screengrab From Roblox Pet Simulator X Game

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