Is Roblox not safe for kids? Game turns nightmare for parents as lawsuits rise

Dubai: Roblox, one of the world’s most popular online gaming platforms, is under intense scrutiny as technical failures, safety concerns, and a rising tide of lawsuits cast a shadow over its rapid growth.

For many parents, what was once a safe playground for children has turned into a source of worry—and sometimes outrage.

Is Roblox safe for kids? The answer has become more complicated than ever. While the platform cannot be labeled entirely unsafe, it is far from risk-free. Multiple documented issues highlight why parents and regulators are raising alarms.

Why parents are worried

• Legal pressure mounts: Roblox faces several high-profile lawsuits, including one in the US, accusing the company of failing to protect children from sexual exploitation and of relying on flawed moderation and age verification systems.

• Disturbing research findings: Studies cited in The Guardian reveal that children’s avatars can easily encounter sexually suggestive environments and interact with adults in ways that could lead to grooming.

• Flawed moderation: The platform leans heavily on automated AI to monitor content. Critics argue this approach is insufficient, leaving inappropriate material visible for extended periods. Efforts to expose predators have even led to the suspension of some watchdog accounts, fueling backlash.

• Off-platform risks: Even with in-game chat filters, predators often move conversations to unmonitored apps like Discord or Snapchat, bypassing Roblox’s safety mechanisms entirely.

Why it’s not black and white

• Parental controls exist: Roblox offers robust tools to restrict gameplay, communications, and spending, though their effectiveness depends on diligent use.

• Safety initiatives in progress: In response to criticism, Roblox has introduced stricter age verification, banned content implying sexual activity, and rolled out AI tools designed to shut down inappropriate servers.

• The scale factor: With more than 80 million daily active users, policing every corner of the platform is a monumental challenge. Roblox emphasizes that “bad actors” are an internet-wide issue, not unique to its platform.

Growth amid crises

Despite these challenges, Roblox’s numbers remain impressive. In Q2 2025, the platform reported 111.8 million daily active users spending a combined 27.4 billion hours online. Mobile drives 80% of engagement, while popular experiences like Brookhaven RP have logged over 69 billion visits. Revenue reached $1.08 billion in the quarter, and creators earned more than $1 billion collectively over the past year.

Yet growth has been accompanied by recurring headaches:

• Frequent technical outages

Roblox has struggled with large-scale disruptions that leave users locked out of the website, apps, and console versions. Developers, too, face downtime, disrupting content creation and revenue streams.

• Safety concerns, lawsuits

Allegations of inadequate child protection have triggered lawsuits and regulatory actions. In addition to the US lawsuit, countries like China, North Korea, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Jordan, and Turkey have imposed temporary bans or restrictions following reports of inappropriate content involving children. Roblox has responded with new content tags and policies, but public confidence remains shaken.

• Moderation backlash

Community trust has also been strained. Critics argue that harmful experiences still slip through, exposing children to adult themes. Roblox has faced further criticism for suspending users who attempted to expose predators. Meanwhile, viral rumors about potential shutdowns and calls for executive resignations have spread across social media, amplifying parental anxiety.

• Developer frustrations

Roblox’s creator community is increasingly vocal about technical failures, including bugs in Roblox Studio and unreliable in-game purchase systems. With livelihoods at stake, repeated outages and platform instability risk alienating the very developers that fuel Roblox’s success.

Bottom line?

Roblox embodies a stark duality: a global gaming powerhouse with a vibrant creator economy—and a platform under siege from technical failures, safety controversies, and legal scrutiny.

For parents, the question is no longer simply about whether kids should play—but whether the platform can ever be trusted to keep its youngest users safe.

For Roblox, the next challenge is clear: rebuilding trust while proving it can provide a stable, secure, and sustainable environment for millions of children worldwide.