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  • 2017-02-17 (xsd:date)
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  • Does the iPad App 'Roblox' Dangerously Expose Children to Predators? (en)
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  • On 15 February 2017, Hull Daily Mail reported a father's claims about the massively multiplayer online social gaming platform (MMORPG) Roblox, purported dangers later aggregated by news sources in the U.S. and Australia. According to the first article, Hull resident Iain Morrison maintained that he discovered the game was being used by pedophiles after purportedly locating messages of an indecent nature in his child's account: Like similar warnings in the news, Morrison's began as a Facebook status post. The very first comment in that thread was made by a user who pointed out that the purported issue Morrison was warning about was easily avoided: Morrison didn't say why he believed Roblox posed a danger not present in other popular children's MMORPGs, opining only that he had it in his head the game might be risky. He asserted that when he investigated his suspicions by playing Roblox, his fears were confirmed: It looked as if Roblox safety concerns were primarily speculative in nature until late January 2017. There was little indication parents had previously asserted Roblox was a risk to children, and many apps include player-to-player messaging features (controls which are sometimes circumvented, a circumstance in no way unique to Roblox). All platforms with messaging enabled carry identical risks, and a similar panic occurred when a mother believed Minecraft was rife with sex mods. But just before Morrison got it in his head Roblox was unsafe, another parent claimed Roblox was dangerous, declaring that her six-year-old child was messaged inappropriate content. Like many games popular among children, Roblox proactively activates content filters based on user age. Roblox not only automatically applies such controls for users under 13, but it maintains features allowing parents to view comprehensive account history and interactions. According to a Roblox security guide, potentially inappropriate content is filtered for children by default, and parents can see any and all content to which their children are exposed should they choose to do so: We located no information suggesting Roblox was any less safe for children than other similar apps, or that it was overrun with individuals propositioning children. By default, Roblox employs controls for users under the age of 13 and features a robust set of functions enabling parents to closely monitor their children's Roblox activity at all times. Roblox's player-to-player chat is not the only platform for users to interact in a multiplayer game app, and nothing suggests it is particularly risky for children to use. Parental controls in Roblox only work when parents hold up their end of the requirementa by using them, and concerned mothers and fathers can easily monitor all in-game activity to root out questionable interactions or behavior. We contacted Roblox about the rumors, but have not yet received a response. (en)
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