Researchers' fictional gamers reveal 'disturbing' Roblox risks to children

"Deeply disturbing" research exposes how easy it is for children to encounter inappropriate content and interact unsupervised with adults on the gaming platform Roblox.

- Libby Brooks Jedidajah Otte

The hugely popular website and app acknowledges that children using the platform may be exposed to harmful content and "bad actors". It says it is working hard to fix this, but that industry-wide collaboration and government intervention are needed.

Describing itself as "the ultimate virtual universe", Roblox features millions of games and interactive environments known as "experiences". Some content is developed by Roblox, but much is user-generated. In 2024, the platform had more than 85 million daily users, an estimated 40% of whom are under 13.

While the company said it "deeply sympathised" with parents whose children came to harm, it said "tens of millions of people have a positive, enriching and safe experience on Roblox every day".

However, in an investigation shared with the Guardian, the digital-behaviour experts Revealing Reality discovered "something deeply disturbing - a troubling disconnect between Roblox's child-friendly appearance and the reality of what children experience on the platform".

Revealing Reality created multiple Roblox accounts, registering them to fictional users aged five, nine, 10, 13 and 40-plus. The accounts interacted only with one another, not with other users, to ensure their avatars' behaviours were not influenced in any way.