Parents, Grandparents, and additional family of minor gamers! I couldn't leave it at the basic article warning about the dangers... because (as a dad) this isn't a joke. Here are a number of things that have occurred in or through Roblox. It doesn't cover everything, but I wanted to list enough to drive it home and increase your awareness:
• Grooming of children by adult predators via in-game chat
• Solicitation of minors to share inappropriate images
• Use of Robux (in-game currency) to lure children into private chats
• Predators directing children to third-party apps like Discord and Snapchat
• Extortion of children using AI-generated explicit images
• Attempted physical meetups arranged through Roblox messaging
• A 12-year-old girl abducted by a known predator active on Roblox
• A 10-year-old manipulated into harming an infant after receiving violent instructions via Roblox chat
• Multiple lawsuits filed by families alleging Roblox failed to protect minors
• Creation of inappropriate games with sexual or violent themes
• Use of deceptive game titles to bypass moderation filters
• Children exposed to gambling mechanics disguised as mini-games
• Predators using voice chat to bypass text filters
• Roblox’s delayed implementation of grooming detection tools (not until 2022)
• Alleged exploitation of child developers with little financial compensation
• A predator continued contacting a child even after arrest and court orders
• Manipulation of children into sending money or gift cards
• Use of avatars and roleplay to simulate adult scenarios
• Children tricked into clicking external links leading to unsafe websites
• Inadequate age verification allowing underage users into mature content
• Roblox’s internal investigations contradicting law enforcement findings
• Lack of real-time moderation in private servers
• Children exposed to hate speech and discriminatory content
• Use of fake identities and avatars to gain children's trust
• Predators exploiting Roblox’s friend request system
• Children coerced into deleting incriminating messages
• Use of Roblox Studio to create hidden exploitative content
• A predator instructed a child to set fire to their home
• Roblox reported over 13,000 child exploitation incidents to NCMEC in 2023
• Alleged failure to remove known predator accounts promptly
• Children targeted with fake “developer” offers to gain access to personal info
• Use of in-game events to lure children into private spaces
• Predators posing as children to join kid-only servers
• Children exposed to simulated drug use in user-generated games
• Inappropriate roleplay scenarios involving minors
• Use of AI chatbots to mimic child speech and gain trust
• Exploitation of children’s creative work without fair compensation
• Children manipulated into sharing school details for blackmail
• Roblox avatars used to simulate sexual acts
• Use of “game passes” to hide adult content
• Children tricked into downloading malware disguised as Roblox mods
• Predators using Roblox to scout targets for other platforms
• Children exposed to suicide-related content in games
• Use of fake giveaways to collect personal data
• Roblox’s safety team allegedly understaffed during peak abuse periods
• Children pressured into joining off-platform video calls
• Use of “obby” games to simulate inappropriate scenarios
• Predators using group chats to coordinate targeting of minors
• Children exposed to racial slurs and hate speech in unmoderated games
• Roblox’s moderation delays allowing harmful content to stay live for days
• Parents unaware of hidden chat logs and deleted message trails
