LONDON—Roblox’s chief executive, Dave Baszucki, has told parents concerned about their children’s safety on the gaming platform not to let them use it. His comments come amid ongoing concerns about children being exposed to explicit content, bullying, and grooming on the popular site.
Roblox safety concerns, which allows users to create and play games, has seen meteoric growth among young gamers, particularly those aged eight to 12. However, the platform has been dogged by reports of children encountering inappropriate content and harmful behavior.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Baszucki said: “My first message would be, if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox.” He added that he would always trust parents to decide about their children’s online activities.
The comments have sparked a range of reactions from parenting experts. Justine Roberts, boss of parenting forum Mumsnet, said parents on the site had spoken of struggling to manage their children’s use of Roblox. “There are parental controls, and our users would urge constant parental supervision,” she said. “But we all know that with the best will in the world, life sometimes gets in the way.”
Roblox, founded in 2004, has become one of the world’s largest gaming platforms, with more monthly users than Nintendo Switch and Sony PlayStation combined. In 2024, it averaged over 80 million players daily, around 40% under 13.
Baszucki insisted that the company is vigilant in protecting its users and pointed out that “tens of millions” of people have “amazing experiences” on the site. He said Roblox takes a zero-tolerance approach to bullying and harassment and uses advanced AI systems to monitor user communications.
However, critics argue that these measures are not foolproof. The BBC was able to create fake accounts and exchange messages, highlighting potential loopholes in the platform’s safety filters. Baszucki countered that these findings showed Roblox’s comparative safety, as users felt the need to take content that might breach its rules to other platforms.
As the UK’s Online Safety Act comes into force in April, imposing strict regulations on tech companies to protect children online, Roblox’s approach to safety will be closely scrutinized. The platform’s ability to balance user creativity with child safety will be a key challenge.
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