Despite claiming safety is a top priority, Roblox exposes kids to severe risks. Recent investigations have revealed frightening safety failures. Adults are chatting with 5-year-olds, inviting them into private locked rooms, and asking for their Snapchat details to continue grooming them on another platform. Children are accessing games simulating sex acts, Nazi content, and school shootings – all rated as “mild” or appropriate for kids. In 2023 alone, Roblox reported over 13,000 instances of child exploitation and over 1,300 law enforcement requests, which likely represents an undercount of the abuse occurring on the platform.

Recent reports have exposed even more disturbing content once available to child users on Roblox. A 2024 investigation found over 600 games referencing Sean “Diddy” Combs with titles like “DIDDY SURVIVAL,” “diddy party,” and “Freaky Diddy Simulator.” They also found hundreds of games displaying variations of convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein’s name, including games titled “Escape to Epstein Island.” Children can access “condo games” where avatars remove virtual clothing and engage in simulated sexual activities, as well as games like “Public Bathroom Simulator Vibe” that allows users as young as nine to simulate sexual activity in virtual bathrooms.

A recent California lawsuit alleges an 11-year-old girl was groomed and sexually assaulted after meeting a stranger on Roblox. The predator used the platform’s communication features to establish contact before moving to Discord to continue the grooming process.

ParentsTogether has received numerous horror stories from our members on their children’s harmful experiences on Roblox. 

Parents should know that Roblox is not a safe, simple gaming platform for children.

Unlike traditional games, Roblox functions as a platform hosting millions of user-created experiences. Children have been contacted by predators, groomed, harassed, bullied, and traumatized. The platform’s monetization model encourages gambling-like behavior and drives children to spend money compulsively to expand their game play and collect virtual items. Parents have also reported their children being scammed out of ‘Robux,’ the in-game currency purchased with real world money.

Roblox game modeled after Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking island

In 2024, the platform had more than 85 million daily active users, an estimated 40% of whom are under 13, which means that this is a specific threat to extremely young users. Parents report difficulty finding and using the parental controls and that safety features are easy for their child (and predators) to bypass.

Roblox game re-enacting a school shooting.

Over 4000 parents have signed a petition to Roblox telling Roblox to keep their word and embrace safety by design: default all children under 13 to maximum privacy settings, remove features that enable adult-child contact, eliminate manipulative monetization, and limit kids under 18 from accessing inappropriate content.