Researchers warn of risks to children on Roblox: “systematic failure of the platform to keep children safe”

Roblox, with over 85 million daily active users, is an immensely popular online platform where users from around the globe can play a wide range of games, explore virtual worlds and experiences. However, Roblox has come under fire for the risks it presents to young users from being exposed to adult content and approached by predators on the gaming platform.

A new analysis of Roblox by Revealing Reality, shared with The Guardian, has revealed the ease at which the safety features in place can be circumvented, allowing for adults to interact with children as young as five years old. Beeban Kidron, a crossbench peer and internet safety campaigner, told the outlet that the research exposes a “systematic failure [by Roblox] to keep children safe.”

Roblox’s Chief safety officer Matt Kaufman, told The Guardian that the platform “added more than 40 new safety enhancements” last year alone, “and we remain fully committed to going further to make Roblox a safe and civil place for everyone.”

Risks for children on Roblox

Researchers at Revealing Reality created multiple accounts registered at varying ages from 5 to over 40 years old in order to explore and understand what experiences could be had across the platform. While the adult accounts required a verified phone number to access voice chats, those for ages between 5 and 13 did not require age verification or have to be linked to any contact information.

“All of these accounts were very easy and quick to create,” notes the study and adult researchers’ accounts registered as children were able to navigate the site as a ‘child’. They then observed different avatars on the site to see how they interacted with the their own avatars and others on the platform.

The researchers found that “Roblox lacks robust age verification methods” which makes it difficult to know the true age of the person behind the avatar. This means that adults and children are able to interact on the platform despite the age safety controls in place, something the researchers found “deeply disturbing.”

But even those did not prevent an avatar registered as a 42-year-old from asking another registered as a 5-year-old for Snapchat details using barely coded language, opening the door for direct conversations between the two off the platform. There are also ways on the platform for adults to have private conversations with children using the public chat feature inside a private room.

Furthermore, in spite of age controls to limit access to an experience called ‘Vibe Place’ for those under age 13, the researchers were still able to gain access with accounts registered as young as five. Additionally, they found discrepancies between the maturity ratings, listed as ‘mild’ or ‘minimal’, for certain experiences on the platform and the actual content children could be exposed to once inside.

While parents are provided with a feature to block access to specific experiences for children under the age of 13, this may be difficult with around 6 million active ones on Roblox, especially if they aren’t labeled with the proper maturity rating.

Recommendations for parents to reduce risks for children in Roblox

The researchers feel that “the most effective way to protect children is to prevent them from using the platform entirely,” due to the “significant safety concerns” they came across exploring Roblox. However, the researchers acknowledge that given the immense popularity of Roblox among young users, this “might not always be practical or feasible for parents.”

While “far from a perfect solution,” it’s essential for parents to take advantage of Roblox’s parental control features if their children use the platform. Additionally, they can be proactive and create their own Roblox account, enable parental verification and link it to their child’s profile.

And “vigilance is key,” say the researchers. That means not only checking regularly what games their kids are playing, but also who they are interacting with and having open conversations about the dangers present on the platform.

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