Roblox
Roblox is often the first social platform a kid uses, sometimes as young as 7 or 8. The risks are real and underdiscussed: chat features built into the games themselves, a virtual currency (Robux) that is the entry point for scams, and a complicated set of age-verification systems that do not all work as intended.
Roblox is also increasingly used as a recruitment surface for grooming, because the chat-in-games architecture and the wide age range of users make it easy for an adult to find a child.
The settings that matter
Doing four of these is meaningfully better than reading twenty things and doing none.
Set the account's age accurately and lock it with a parent PIN.
Settings → Account Info → Birthday, then Settings → Security → Account PIN. Roblox applies different chat and content defaults based on the listed age — accurate age plus a PIN means your kid cannot quietly raise the age to unlock features later.
Restrict chat permissions.
Settings → Privacy → Who can chat with me / message me / invite me. Set each to “No one,” “Friends,” or “Friends of friends” depending on your kid's age and your comfort. For under-13 accounts, lock everything to Friends.
Turn on Account Restrictions.
Settings → Security → Account Restrictions. This is Roblox's stricter mode — limits accessible games to a curated list, restricts chat, and disables some features. Useful for younger kids.
Lock down spending.
If Robux is involved, do not save a card on the account. For Robux gift cards or pre-paid Robux, the kid spends the balance and there is no way for a scammer to drain a connected account.
Set up Roblox parent supervision if it is available in your region.
Settings → Parental Controls / Parent Sign-In. Roblox has been rolling out a parent-supervision tool similar to TikTok's Family Pairing. Naming and availability vary by region and account age. Turn it on if it is offered.
Worth knowing about Roblox
- Many “games” on Roblox are user-created experiences, not Roblox-built. The level of moderation in any given experience varies dramatically. Worth a conversation about which games your kid plays heavily.
- Roblox chat is filtered by age, but the filter is imperfect and predators have learned to work around it (asking for a Discord username, using numerical codes, dropping references that lead off-platform).
- “Free Robux” scams are the most common entry point for credential theft on Roblox accounts. There are no free Robux. Have that conversation once and refresh it whenever a new generator pops up.
For your kid
Print the kid-friendly version
The Stay Safe Online booklet covers Roblox (and the rest) in language written for a teen to read. Free, printable, no email required.