It’s too subjective to effectively figure all of that stuff out so instead you put in place rules, guidelines, and processes to react and deal with issues as they arise. And the unfortunate truth is that Roblox has had a lot of issues with inappropriate content over the years.

While it’s easy to brush off some cases, even recent ones, as exceptions to the rule, it’s certainly more prevalent in Roblox than in other child-targeted games. With the flexibility of its content creation and the vast reach that the platform has achieved (well over 30 million active users per month) it’s bound to attract some unsavory folks over time even if it is still uncommon.

Many of these issues aren’t unique to Roblox though. Similar issues pop up in other online games like Minecraft as well and especially in Mature-rated video games like Call of Duty. But with that being said, the issues feel more pronounced given the otherwise innocent nature of Roblox as a platform.

What To Do About Inappropriate Content

But most likely a day will come when your child will be exposed to inappropriate or vulgar content in an online game such as Roblox. If this happens, what can you do?

First and foremost if a player is acting inappropriately you can report them immediately inside the game by pressing Esc and locating the red flag icon next to their name. Additionally, for any larger concerns about safety, send an email to safety@roblox.com to speak with a company representative directly or info@roblox.com for all other non-safety concerns.

Preventative Measures

I don’t mean to scare parents away and discourage them from allowing their children access, but it’s important to be aware at all times. Roblox is still an excellent gateway to things like user-generated content in video games, game design principles, and even some basic programming skills. At the very least it’s an awesome portal to thousands of (often) free games that your kids can play online with friends across the computer, mobile devices, and Xbox One.

But as a result of the pervasive issues with inappropriate content, The Roblox Corporation does have a litany of preventative measures in place with the game. For starters, you can read the Parent’s Guide that’s posted on the official website and look over our Roblox 101 article with everything parents need to know.

Back in March of this year The Roblox Corporation rolled out a long list of new initiatives that have been implemented with the intention of increasing “child safety” in Roblox. Some examples of new features that were introduced then include the ability to totally shut off chat capabilities, age visibility to ensure content is age appropriate, restricting more words for under 13 accounts in chat, more aggressive deletion of inappropriate content, and enhancing guidelines. In fact, the company claims that all images, videos, and audio files are “pre-reviewed” by moderators to ensure the content is appropriate. All of that adds up to The Roblox Corporation taking its stance on protecting children much more seriously.

And as a parent, there are certain measures you can take before anything bad happens in the first place. For example, protect your child’s account by setting a strong, unique password and ensure that they never share personal contact information or details with strangers on the internet. You can also enable two-step verification for logging in (which is something everyone should do with all services, honestly).

All that being said, the best piece of advice is the same rule of thumb I’d recommend to all parents with children old enough to use the internet: be aware, actively participate, and monitor time closely. This doesn’t mean stand over their shoulder every minute of every day, but take an interest in what they’re playing and doing. Watch YouTube with them, play Roblox with them, and learn about this bold new world they’ve dove headfirst into.