Roblox is a popular online gaming platform these days with over 150 million players. People of all ages and both genders tend to enjoy and use Roblox efficiently. Especially since the past few months of the global pandemic and lock down, Roblox has gained significant popularity and the number of its users has increased rapidly. Children aged mainly from 1o to 14 years of age are more inclined towards the platform.
Roblox allows users to create games with their favorite avatars and features, including basic coding and designing the entire game. Roblox has over 50 million games to choose from other than creating your own game. Such a huge collection of games interests youngsters and children especially. Roblox is not just limited to gaming and isolating users in a room, playing games, but it also provides features to connect with friends or other players over the internet or Roblox network.
You can connect to people, interact with them and make game buddies. Players can also share their 3D games and games that they like, invite friends, earn free robux and chat with them too while playing their games.
Categorizing Roblox as only ‘good’ or ‘bad’ may not be appropriate to do so. Although, like every other site or platform, Roblox also has pros and cons which can not be overlooked. There are certain things that are dangerous, mainly for children under 18 years of age. Thus, it is very important for parents to keep an eye on their child while they are playing games on Roblox.
The Pros and Cons of Roblox
Parents need to be vigilant while their children are playing and using platforms like Roblox to prevent any unpleasant circumstances. Roblox offers a wide range of games, along with providing the opportunity to create their own games. This is something quite useful for youngsters who are interested in developing their own games. With simple and basic coding, they can make their own games and share them with their friends.
It also encourages interaction with people while playing and sitting on their couch. Particularly in the time of the global pandemic, everyone is isolated and needs some sort of interaction in order to remain sane. Such social settings do play a significant role. Additionally, Roblox increases creativity, problem solving skills, designing skills, critical thinking, confidence and coding skills along with a fun filled environment.
Besides the pros mentioned above, Roblox has some cons, which can prove to be very impactful and dangerous. Roblox is suitable for all ages, but kids need special supervision by parents or guardians while they are on Roblox. The company’s admins claim that there is no pornographic content or sexual imagery, but still some cases have been reported that complain about the inappropriate content that the users have come across.
Along with this, bullying and harassment while connecting and interacting with people is also a serious issue that has been reported by some parents. A parent reported that she witnessed her kid’s avatar being ‘gang-raped’ during the game which created a whole lot of chaos on the internet regarding Roblox. Parents also reported about their kids being invited to ‘sex rooms’ by strangers.
There have been certain cases that depicted violence, slut-shaming and other such crude themes. Roblox YouTube videos must also be discouraged as they have inappropriate content made and uploaded by users without any restrictions or supervision. Children often search for Roblox game videos and end up watching unsuitable content. Chatting must also be monitored on Roblox.
Users can chat to anyone while playing on Roblox and that is not too safe. Cyberbullying is a real threat on such websites and it can lead to serious consequences if not handled timely. Online dating known as ‘oder’ is also what some parents/users complained about while using Roblox. Some annoying users tend to establish connections with people and end up harassing them. Bypassed videos are also a big con of Roblox. They include inappropriate audios, swear words, racial slurs, slogans and offensive conversation.
Parents must supervise and keep an eye on their children while they play Roblox. They must also keep high parental control settings for younger kids to prevent them from any unbefitting content. They should know to whom the kids are talking to, what sort of games they are playing and creating, what visual or audible content is being shared, and what behavioural changes are being seen in the child’s behaviour if they are a Roblox user.
Roblox offers a complete guide for parents with useful tips on how to restrict game types, block or report disruptive users, and put strict parental controls. Another important factor is that the user’s accurate date of birth must be entered. This will enable automatic filtering and protections designed to protect children under the age of 13.
Parents can also restrict the amount of money their children can spend while playing games on Roblox. Roblox allows kids to play, explore, socialize, create and learn in a self-directed way. By taking advantage of all the great tools available and actively engaging with your children, you can be at ease and be stress free knowing that your kids are having fun, staying safe, while learning potential skills that they utilize and practice for years to come.
