Recently, I spent two hours talking with a mother of a 10-year-old boy. Her son has become absorbed in something called Roblox and can’t put down his phone.

He uses his phone during meals, stays up late at night, and throws tantrums when she tries to take it away. She confided, “I don’t know what to do,” clearly worried.

I’m writing for that mother and for other Fujieda parents facing similar concerns. Let’s start by understanding “what Roblox actually is.” Understanding before acting leads to more effective solutions.

What is Roblox, Really?

Not a Game—A Platform

Many parents think “Roblox is a game,” but that’s not quite right. Roblox is more like “YouTube for games”—a platform.

Just as YouTube hosts countless videos, Roblox hosts millions of user-created games (called “experiences”). Children don’t just play—they can create their own games too.

Roblox’s ultimate vision goes beyond gaming—its corporate filings mention “metaverse” 16 times, describing itself as a platform for interconnected virtual worlds where people can work, play, and socialize. That ambitious vision helps explain why the platform is designed to keep users constantly engaged.

What the Numbers Show

  • In mid-2024, the platform had 70.9 million daily active users
  • The average user spends 2.3 hours per day on the platform
  • 60% of users are over 16 (many Japanese parents find this surprising). However, 22% of daily users are under age 13—meaning millions of young children are on the platform
  • Tens of millions of games available to play
  • Robux, a virtual currency for purchasing various items
  • Roblox generated $2.8 billion in revenue in 2023, a 25.55% increase year-over-year
  • The platform’s business model is driven by “bookings” (the sale of virtual currency), which grew 23% to over $3.5 billion in 2023
  • Roblox paid out $741 million to creators in 2023—making it not just a place to play, but a place where some users earn significant money

So when your child says they’re “playing Roblox,” they might actually be playing dozens of different games. And the financial incentives for creators to keep users engaged are enormous.

Why Children Become Absorbed

When children become absorbed in Roblox, it doesn’t mean they’re “bad kids.” The platform is designed to be engaging—and it works.

1. Connection with Friends

For today’s children, Roblox is like a virtual playground—a social space. They play games with school friends and chat. Even when they can’t meet in person, they can connect through Roblox.

“Taking away the game” is like telling an adult “you’re forbidden from seeing your friends.”

2. Creative Expression

In Roblox, children can create their own games. Building structures, developing stories—this is creative play and “artwork” for your child.

Roblox’s C.E.O. describes the user-created games as “the metaverse’s version of the Hollywood backlot or the YouTube creator’s studio.” For many children, this isn’t “just a game”—it’s genuine creative work with real potential.

3. Real-Time Events (FOMO: Fear of Missing Out)

Roblox features limited-time events and items. “If I don’t play now, I’ll miss it” and “My friends are playing, so I should too”—these feelings keep children glued to screens.

4. Achievement Systems

Level-ups, badge collection, rankings—these “achievement” systems continuously stimulate children’s brains. It’s the same mechanism that makes adults hooked on social media and smartphone games.

Parents Are Right to Worry: Roblox’s Real Risks

Some might think, “If children are having fun, what’s the problem?” But parental instincts are correct. Real dangers exist in Roblox.

What the Statistics Show

  • Roblox has invested heavily in safety, employing 3,600 people working on safety and using AI to scan for inappropriate content in text, images, and audio. However, their own Vice-President of Trust and Safety acknowledges: “Are we going to be perfect? No.”
  • The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) received over 36 million reports of suspected child sexual exploitation in 2023, with more than 95% originating from social media and gaming platforms like Roblox
  • Law enforcement agencies globally have issued warnings about the platform. The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has highlighted how offenders use features in games like Roblox to build trust with children before luring them onto other platforms to exploit them. The NCA specifically advises parents to check privacy settings to ensure children only interact with known friends, and to have open conversations about what to do if a stranger contacts them
  • These aren’t “theoretical dangers”—they’re actual incidents

1. Contact Risks: Connecting with Unknown Adults

In Roblox, anyone can chat with anyone. There’s no way to verify whether the other person is a child or adult, or if they’re telling the truth.

Cases of malicious adults pretending to be children have been reported. They start friendly, then gradually extract personal information or make inappropriate requests (grooming).

2. Content Risks: Inappropriate Games

With tens of millions of games, checking everything is impossible. Games containing violent or sexual content slip through filters.

In Australia, a game called “public bathroom roleplay” was reported to contain sexual content. Parents felt that Roblox responded too slowly to the problem, highlighting why parental supervision cannot rely solely on the platform’s moderation.

Beyond sexual content, Roblox has struggled with extremist material—including virtual re-enactments of mass shootings like the 2019 Christchurch mosque attack. The breadth of potential dangers underscores why active parental supervision is essential.

3. Financial Risks: Scams and Unauthorized Credit Card Use

Scams targeting children for their Robux are a significant risk. These often involve:

  • Deceptive websites promising “free Robux” that are designed to steal account passwords
  • Bad actors who initiate unfair in-game trades to trick children out of their valuable virtual items
  • Unauthorized purchases with parents’ credit cards

The scale is staggering: In 2023, the Roblox community created 26 million virtual items and users made 1.8 billion avatar updates—illustrating the massive pressure children feel to spend Robux to customize their appearance.

Children have a weak sense that virtual currency is “real money,” leading to unknowingly large expenditures.

4. Bullying Risks: Potentially 24/7

School bullying ends when children go home. But Roblox bullying can continue 24 hours a day.

  • Verbal abuse (cyberbullying)
  • In-game harassment (called “griefing”)
  • Personal information exposure (doxxing)

Your child might be suffering even while appearing to “just play games.”

5. Health Risks: Sleep, Exercise, Addiction

  • Sleep deprivation: Late-night play affecting school life
  • Lack of exercise and obesity: Long sedentary periods
  • Anxiety and depression: Research shows correlations with excessive screen time
  • Addiction symptoms: Tantrums when removed, constant thoughts about gaming

But Here’s What Matters: Prohibition Doesn’t Work

Experts unanimously agree: “Completely banning Roblox doesn’t solve the problem.”

Why Prohibition Fails

  1. Children play in secret: At friends’ houses, libraries, hidden places
  2. Trust breaks down: Parent-child communication stops, children share nothing
  3. Social isolation: Being left out when all friends connect through Roblox
  4. Lost learning opportunities: Missing chances to teach digital literacy

Child safety experts agree on this: Roblox is too large and deeply integrated into children’s social lives to be effectively managed with an outright ban.

In other words, learning “how to engage with Roblox” is a necessary skill in modern parenting.

A More Effective Approach

One of the most effective strategies? Play the games with your child. It’s the best way to understand the platform’s appeal and identify risks firsthand. You don’t need to become an expert gamer—just spending 15-30 minutes playing together can reveal what draws your child in and what concerns you should address.

Experts also recommend creating a “Family Media Agreement”—a written document that sets clear rules and expectations for screen time, online behavior, and in-app purchases. Getting everyone on the same page prevents conflicts and teaches digital responsibility. This transforms abstract concerns into concrete, agreed-upon boundaries that everyone understands.

Ready to take action? Continue to Part 2: Complete Safety Settings Guide

What This Mother (and You) Can Do

The answer isn’t panic or complete prohibition. It’s involvement, education, and setting boundaries.

Roblox is Both “Playground” and “Risk”

Imagine a park. Parks are fun for children, but strangers might appear and injuries can happen.

So parents:

  • Accompany young children to the park
  • Teach “don’t go with strangers”
  • Tell children to report problems immediately
  • Set time limits (be home by 6 PM)

Roblox is the same. You can’t make it completely safe, but you can reduce risks and protect your child.

Next Steps

Reading this article, you’ve gained some understanding of “what Roblox is” and “why it’s concerning.”

But understanding alone changes nothing. Concrete action is needed.

In the next article (Part 2):

  • Step-by-step instructions for Roblox safety settings
  • Detailed procedures with screenshots
  • Checklist (to confirm you’ve completed everything)

In Part 3:

  • Understanding why kids react so intensely (and how to handle tantrums)
  • Five practical strategies that actually work
  • Creating rules together with your child (not just imposing them)
  • A gradual 4-week implementation approach
  • When to seek professional help

Finally: You’re Not Alone

I told the mother I spoke with for two hours:

“This isn’t just your problem. Parents worldwide face the same challenges. And solutions exist.”

What matters:

  • Don’t panic
  • Gather information (you’re already taking this step by reading this article)
  • Start with what you can do, one thing at a time
  • Don’t aim for perfection

You’re a wonderful parent. Because you care enough about your child to read this article and take action.

Let’s learn specific setup methods together in the next article.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Roblox safe for 10-year-olds in Japan? Roblox has safety features, but it’s not automatically safe. With proper parental controls (covered in Part 2) and family rules (covered in Part 3), you can significantly reduce risks from predators, inappropriate content, and scams. The key is active parental involvement, not relying on the platform’s default settings.

How much time do children actually spend on Roblox daily? The average Roblox user spends 2.3 hours per day on the platform. For Fujieda families, we recommend starting with 30 minutes to 1 hour on weekdays and 1-2 hours on weekends, with adjustments based on your child’s age and behavior.

Can unknown adults contact my child on Roblox? Yes, by default anyone can chat with anyone on Roblox. There’s no age verification. That’s why setting up parental controls (Part 2) to restrict chat to “friends only” or turn it off completely is critical for protecting children under 13.

Does Roblox cost money to play? Roblox is free to download and play, but uses virtual currency called Robux for in-game purchases. Without spending limits, children can rack up significant charges on your credit card. Over 40% of boys aged 13-15 have fallen for “free Robux” scams.

What are the biggest dangers on Roblox for Japanese children? The main risks are: contact with online predators through chat, exposure to inappropriate sexual or violent content in games, financial scams targeting Robux, 24/7 cyberbullying, and gaming addiction affecting sleep and school performance.

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