Roblox and Grooming

[Stellaris22]

Anyone who lets their child play Roblox needs to have a read of this article https://hindenburgresearch.com/roblox/

Essentially, they are incredibly lax in their regulations and have several accounts linked to grooming and child abuse. This goes beyond monitoring your child’s play, no one (who knows about this) should be allowing their child access to this platform.

This is not about social media or screen time, it’s being safe online.

Taken from the article:

• After we found a username, we listed our age as “under 13” to see if children are being exposed to adult content. By merely plugging ‘adult’ into the Roblox search bar, we found a group called “Adult Studios” with 3,334 members openly trading child pornography and soliciting sexual acts from minors.
• Registered as a child, we were also able to access games like “Escape to Epstein Island” and “Diddy Party”. We found over 600 “Diddy” games, including “Survive Diddy” and “Run From Diddy Simulator”.

• Since September 2nd, 2024, third-party monitor ‘Moderation For Dummies’ has reported ~12,400 erotic roleplay accounts on Roblox. These include everything from “rape/forceful sex fetishes” to underage users “willing to do anything for Robux”.
• Users seeking sexual experiences on Roblox are so pervasive that there are thousands of Roblox sex videos on porn sites, inviting users of unknown ages to make explicit content on the platform.
• We tested out Roblox’s experiences to see what else kids were being exposed to. We quickly encountered images of male genitalia and hate speech in Roblox’s “school simulator” game, which had registered 28.9 million visits with no age restrictions.In the game “Beat Up The Pregnant”, users hacked pregnant women to death in a Wal-Mart parking lot with machetes or killed them with frying pans or a selection of guns.
• Posing as a child in Roblox’s “therapy” experience, our therapist introduced himself as a “rapper with only one p”. We were advised to run away from home and that he would come pick us up so we could move into his basement in exchange for paying rent with our body.

Please be really careful with what you let your child access online.

When I was just 10, Roblox was my world. I remember logging in, wide-eyed, ready to explore countless games. Each one offered something unique, from adventurous obstacle courses to imaginative role-playing games. I spent hours building my dream worlds and teaming up with friends for epic challenges. Roblox wasn’t just a game; it was a place where creativity and fun collided. It taught me teamwork, strategy, and a love for creating. Those memories are priceless, and even today, I sometimes find myself logging back in, if only to relive the joy of those early, adventure-filled days.

Well, two completely opposing viewpoints there, then.

@Yamya thanks paid Roblox post

Yama's post sounds like it was created by AI.
With parental controls you can switch off the chat section. But as with anything online, parents need to monitor it. I think because their child is physically at home, parents don't feel the same level of worry / concern as if their child is physically out of the house. It's a false sense of security. It's a balancing act, many secondary school age kids keep in touch with their mates via online gaming, so as a parent you don't want to limit their socialising in anyway, on the other hand it's being aware of potential dangers and regularly checking in with your kids, or gaming with them so you can see what's happening.