Roblox

[purpleme12]

Hi
Is Roblox ok for an 11 year old?
I'm not a gamer at all so know very minimal things about it.
I know you can chat to other people on it from what I read. So can strangers just chat to them?
I don't know how it works?

If you look at common sense media it will help with this. Click on the ‘parents need to know’ bit.

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/website-reviews/roblox

You can disable the chat features.

I've heard nothing but horror stories about Roblox, so I would tread very carefully...

I took that basically she wants it because her friend has it and her friend wants to chat to her on it

(Don't know why this particular friend can't chat on the phone but there you go)

So I was just wondering if they can only chat to people they know or if that's not the case

We disabled chat to people she didn’t know in real life (school friends shared user names) and my DD chats on her phone with her friends whilst simultaneously playing the same games. She loves it started age nearly 11 end of year 6, Now 14 still plays like this. I’ve played with her to understand some of the games, we chat about her different experiences on it, she has a time limit on her tablet. It gets a lot of negative replies on MN usually but it brings her a lot of fun and connectivity with her friends.

Oh ok that sounds ok that you can only chat to people you know

I was thinking of maybe watching her. At least to start with anyway

I think it’s key to be an interested parent I asked how things worked, we chatted about how to trade things safely, she got scammed once but learnt from it and didn’t lose much game currency. We talked about what to do if she feels uncomfortable with any content, it’s been good for life lessons but because I’ve stayed interested.
She now makes Roblox content on YouTube and has a Roblox graphics making business on the side, using skills from gaming all self taught. Some games are fun and it’s one of the fastest growing gaming platforms for adults too. I’m not a gamer but DH is. I have had a go though at dress to impress, adopt me and a drawing game with DD.

It's worth bearing in mind that it's a platform, not a stand alone game. As such the games on it are WILDLY varied.

Go through it with her to maximise all the privacy options & set whatever limitations you can for age limits. Get involved with the games she chooses so you know what is going on, allow her to teach you.

Make absolutely sure she can only speak with her friend.

Fwiw, commonsense media can be a little bit hysterical about things, I've seen reviews for things that highlight homosexuality as making it inappropriate, so I'd take it with a pinch of salt.

As for 'why not on the phone', they just don't do that anymore, being on chat whilst doing something is sharing an experience rather than a 'let's do nothing but chat to each other'. :)

Thanks

My kids play it, I honestly wish they never discovered it

Why?

Microsoft Word - Roblox-parentfactsheet-January2022.doc

Is Roblox safe for my child? | NSPCC

My kids enjoy playing Roblox games and other games on various consoles. As a lifelong gamer, I also find Roblox enjoyable. It's amazing to have access to thousands of free games to explore and have fun with.

They are obsessed with it, lots of inappropriate games and I just hate it.

Thanks that was a helpful read actually

Ok
Interesting

Then monitor them. Put boundaries in place, join in so you know what's going on. Unfortunately, there's not a platform online that doesn't have inappropriate material on it or can't be abused in some way. We have to guide our kids through & past it, teach them. I'm a lifelong gamer but the best way to learn is to get involved.

I don’t want to play it I don’t like it, the couple of times I have the games were inappropriate even ones that weren’t, so speed draw people drawing rude things, they are teens now so a bit late but just wish they hadn’t discovered it so my advice keep them off it for as long as possible.

Roblox chats are monitored, you can't even type in anything inappropriate or it will cone up as #### in the chat. Most of the kids who play are surprisingly quick to report each other if anyone is being even remotely rude or silly. It's very easy to get temporarily blocked if you are being silly towards other players.

My DD plays a lot and I take an active part in not only learning about Roblox but I also join her 'in game' from my own account so we can play together.

A lot of games are focused on RP (roleplay) so for example, Brookhaven, where you can live in a house in a town and go about your daily life, get a job, meet a friend for icecream etc. A bit like playing with dolls or like the games you play in the playground when younger. In a way it allows kids to continue the gsmes they probably feel too old for in real life. Twilight Daycare for example, where you can play 'mummy' to a baby, feed, change, rock to sleep etc, like you would with a baby Annabell.

DD likes a lot of the cooking games where you basically cook or bake. We ran a restaurant and a bakery together the other week and she learnt a lot about this process, through gaming.

There are 'horror' games like Rainbow Friends where you have to collect items without getting caught by the monsters (not very scary) and you work as a team to complete the collections and finish the game. Some of there horror games might be too scary for younger Roblox players but again, as a parent you can supervise and also set age limits on which games your DC can play.

Roblox gets a lot of bad press on here but I've found it a great way for DD to enjoy gaming safely and also to extend the childhood experience a bit by playing games that are basically a continuation of dolls/barbies and My Little Ponies (yes there is a My LP game too on Roblox).

Like everything, you need to monitor it. I played Roblox with my 10 yo yesterday and we had a great time and were just playing puzzle/platform games. You wouldn’t give them free rein on the internet and I think Roblox is similar, you need to supervise.

My son’s been playing for a while and really enjoys fruit battlegrounds, which seems to be one of the more popular games on Roblox right now.

It’s got a fighting style theme and he likes trading and leveling up different fruits in it. I looked into it just to be sure, and although the gameplay is quite action-heavy, it’s still within normal Roblox content, no blood or anything like that.

My DD12 plays we took the chat option off and she only has her friends as friends on it. Defo keep an eyes on the games they play. She plays 99 something or another and brain rot or something that’s it. She usually sits on the phone to her friends and plays it while im there. Whoever created it must be laughing honestly.

If you take the correct measure regarding chat options etc then it's completely fine.

I am not very tech so I ended up making my own profile and following my DD etc and checking her phone, it was ok, just silly games she was playing. But you do have to check in case.
For us this was during lockdown and I am embarrassed to say I ended up playing more then she did, got quite addicted to Epic Mini Games for a while 😳

Hi X Trench Run!
Roblox can be fun and safe for an 11-year-old if parental controls are properly set and you guide them on safe online behavior. Many parents let their kids play, but supervision and settings are key.

I play with my children I have my own account that's linked to theirs. I see everything. I have complete control over it. No different to phones internet and tablet usage. All need boundaries.

We really love roblox it has some great educational sides to it. The more involved you can get in their worlds the more insight and chance you have of protecting them and guiding them.