[DanBC]

Roblox covers several different things which is why the messaging is mixed. Also, parents have varying attitudes to risk.

The PC version is not safe for children.

The console platform versions are safer for children because they have controls over messaging. The quality control of the games is minimal.

Parents need to be aware that Roblox stuffs in-app payments everywhere and these can be excessive and in-your-face.

My child played Roblox on Xbox One but never found it a particularly enjoyable experience.

[da_big_ghey]

> The PC version is not safe for children.

I'm curious what you mean by this. What makes something safe for children or not? (This is an honest question from someone who doesn't have children and so doesn't really know.) It's interesting that a game would be "safe" on one platform but not another.

[stu2b50]

Roblox isn't so much a "game" as a platform for making games. Think Gmod. As a result, the more "creative freedom" you have, the more the often teen+ aged developers do what people that age do with creative freedom.

[ffpip]

Maybe spam messages, cuss words, obscene figures and stuff

Games on PS4 are way safer. It's like a restricted platform.

Comparing Rocket League's chat on PC and PS4 is enough to know the difference. While playing on your PC, you can quickly abuse/spam the other player because you have a keyboard to type on. Because PS4 only has a virtual keyboard, you don't have enough time to use the controller to type whatever you want. You have to use some preloaded custom messages like 'Nice Shot', 'Excellent Save!'

[stevenicr]

This is a great question - and something that I think people need to be more aware of. As another commenter pointed out - safe for children could be an issues where blackmail and extortion / sextortion could be an issue -

for some parents, finding that on a PS3 while playing mine craft that another person created a giant penis on the screen would make that game 'unsafe'. (I had that happen some years ago - had not idea what to say)

I've heard kids playing call of duty online that cussed and degraded people worse than some x-rated movies.. (and I've also played and heard a kid say 'gosh darn it, they got me'.

anything with chat, anything with user generated content, can be abused to be 'unsafe' in some ways - determining what level of outrage one could encounter / and how uncomfortable one would be is a thing.

editing to add: what some others in the thread have mentioned about kill / guns / cops / etc in some of the games are also a thing for some parents and 'safety' - some might not see any of that in some games / levels that people play in roblox and assume it's not a thing.

I'd also mention some of my associates would have concern that some are based on things outside the game that may include certain levels of cross dress and other things. What is 'safety issue' for some may be a bonus issue for another - so yes, defining types of safety I think is important.

[soulofmischief]

I think the focus needs to be on preventing blackmail/extortion/cyber.

I'm not worried about my daughter or son seeing a crudely constructed penis on the screen, I'm worried about someone sending them age-inappropriate or dangerous private messages. I was consuming sexually explicit content by age nine or ten, had my secret copy of Grand Theft Auto, etc. and at no point was I in any "danger" other than running against the Puritan sensibilities of my guardians.

I remember thinking that the fact that my male Sims couldn't wear female clothes as unnecessarily restrictive, but looking back if my guardians had seen me playing a game as a male wearing a dress, they would have destroyed the game in front of me immediately. "Unsafe" is a considerably relative term.

[sleazy_b]

I think the point is that people have different ideas about what the focus needs to be on.

[soulofmischief]

Yeah, I'm just adding a data point.

[DanBC]

Predators will attack anywhere that children gather. Children gather in Roblox, and predators targeted Roblox.

The features that make something more or less safe are the controls put around preventing that from happening, minimising the risk, being very clear to parents about what's expected of them, having excellent moderation, and having excellent reporting.

The PC version of roblox fails all of these somewhat.

Many parents today are simply a bit too trusting of products aimed at children. This thing isn't going to expose my children to predators; my kids aren't going to learn about gang rape from this game; this toy isn't going to record audio or video; etc.

I don't necessarily think parents need to ban Roblox, because that means you can't teach children about how to keep themselves safe or what to do if they're not enjoying something happening online. But I do think parents need to be aware of what happens.

[fullstop]

It's much more difficult to chat with other players on Xbox.

[indigodaddy]

Good comment. We are very glad that Xbox/console has the chat and messaging (essentially Xbox has it disabled) controls. We only let our 8 year old daughter play Roblox on Xbox One for this reason.

[jatsign]

Thanks. My kids would probably play it on their iPads (we don't even have a PC). Most of their iPad games offer in-app purchases already or force them to watch commercials. It's the messaging that concerns me most.

[Thlom]

My kid play on her tablet or iPhone (mostly). I notice there is a chat window, but don't think she pays much attention to it. She and her friends use facetime for in-game communication.

[novok]

Are the iPad versions in that 'console platform' category or PC category?