A UK National school has issued a warning to parents after child was groomed on popular online children’s gaming platform Roblox.

A letter sent to parents stated –

“Dear Saint John’s families. We wanted to be in touch with the whole school community to inform them that a parent has informed us that one of the children seems to have been “groomed” at home via the Roblox computer game.

“There is no immediate danger to the child and the interaction between the child and the other user has been closed down, but it serves as a stark reminder that playing computer games brings risks and should be carefully monitored by parents.

“Our understanding is that many parents fix settings so that children cannot chat to those that they do not know, but we also know that children can often get around these settings.

There is a temptation for children to want a large circle of “friends” and therefore they will accept any request by an unknown user. As we are sure you are aware, these users can be very clever about how they contact children.”

“Please be aware that this kind of “connection” is often made with younger children through “innocent” games in order to build a relationship with a child over several years – so it is as risky to an infant child as one in Year 5/6.

“Perhaps much of this is harmless and we know that children enjoy playing on many games such as Roblox, Fortnite, Minecraft and others; however, if it is an open game which can connect to unknown users, there is a risk involved.

Please see our website for further information to support decisions around the use of computer games, under E-Safety in the curriculum section.

“If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office on admin@st-johns-pri.gloucs.sch.uk or Mr Brown who has responsibility for our E-safety at Saint John’s.”

What is Roblox?

Visit Roblox on the web: http://www.roblox.com

Roblox is an online platform that hit 43 million active daily users last May.

The company claims that over half of US kids and teens under the age of 16 play the game. David Baszucki is the co-founder and CEO of Roblox, which first launched in 2006 as a website. Today, Roblox is accessible on a range of different devices.

Roblox is a place both kids and adults can go to socialise and play games. It also has a unique art style that some would describe as “cartoon” or two-dimensional.

The games in Roblox are exclusively created by the Roblox community. You can create a game in Roblox. But if you simply want to use Roblox to play with friends, you can do that, too.

In fact, playing with friends is easy, because there are several multiplayer games available as well as social features like messaging.

What are Roblox avatars?

A hugely important thing to know about Roblox is avatars. This is how you appear in the game world. Everyone is automatically given an avatar, a human-like character that, by default, reflects your appearance in all Roblox games.

You can earn items and customisations for your avatar, or you can buy them with Robux virtual currency, which must be purchases with your real-life money. So, yes, you’ll need a credit card attached to your account to buy Robux.

Avatars may be customised with a wide range of body parts, accessories, clothing, skin colours, animations, and more.

This gives you a myriad of ways to express your individual personality and style on the platform. If you don’t know where to start or need some inspiration, there are several resources available online, including Pinterest.

How to chat in Roblox

There are a few things to know about how messaging works on Roblox.

Your Friends

To send a message to a friend, go to your Friends section and click on your friend’s name.

This will take you to their profile. Press the Message button at the top of the page that contains their username and friends and followers information.

Other users

If you are not friends with someone you’d like to message, you can still send a message as long as you and they have allowed this in their privacy settings.

Can’t click the Message button?

If the person you are trying to message has a Message button that’s not clickable, then their privacy settings might not be set up to allow private messages.

Which games can you play on Roblox?

There are a wide variety of games to choose from on Roblox. There are obstacle courses (Obbys), first-person shooters, and puzzle games, for instance.

Most popular and best Roblox games

• Adopt me!

• Jailbreak

• Bloxburg.

• Wipeout Obby

• Tower of Hell

• The Really Easy Obby

• Obstacle Paradise

• Minions Adventure Obby

• BIG! Paintball

• Strucid (Beta)

• Phantom Forces

How to sign up or join Roblox

If you’re completely new to Roblox, click here to sign up for an account.

Is Roblox free to play?

It’s free to create a Roblox account, and most games on the platform are free to play. However, some games require paid access.

Does Roblox have ads?

Yes. Ads can be images that players upload to promote their “places, clothing, models, decals, groups, etc.” Roblox said these will be displayed at the top and sides of Roblox.com.

When the image is clicked, it will take you to the thing that is being advertised.

What is Robux?

You’ll have to pay for games and other things in Roblox with the Robux virtual currency.

For instance, some games on Roblox offer purchasable upgrades in the form of game passes (one-off unlockables and developer products) that can be bought multiple times.

These are like in-app purchases. But you buy them with Robux, which must be bought with real-life money.

How to buy Robux

You can buy Robux from here. When you buy Robux, you receive a “limited, non-refundable, non-transferable, revocable license” to use the virtual currency on Roblox.

What is Roblox Premium?

Roblox also offers a monthly subscription, called Roblox Premium, that unlocks benefits such as a monthly roadbook stipend and a badge next to your name.

By selecting the Premium subscription, you must agree that you are over 18 and that you authorise Robux to charge your account every month until you cancel the subscription.

Which devices support Roblox?

• Roblox online

• Roblox on Google Play

• Roblox on Apple App Store

• You can use Roblox and play Roblox games on the web as well as on your PC, Mac, iOS, Android, and Xbox.

Some games are only supported for PC.

Most of the games you’ll see on Roblox, particularly on the front webpage, will be fully supported on all platforms.

Does Roblox sync across devices?

Yes. Your in-game progress will save between devices. That means you can pick up a game on your iPhone after leaving it on your Xbox.

How to make games on Roblox

Roblox offers a game creation engine called Roblox Studio. This is what the Roblox community uses to create games and publish them for free for other users to play. You can download it on your PC and Mac and get started making your own game.

Roblox Studio supported devices

Roblox studio is only available for PC and Mac.

• Download Roblox Studio

• If Roblox Studio is not already on your computer, get a secure download here.

• After installing Roblox Studio, double-click the desktop icon (Windows) or click the dock icon (Mac).

• On the login screen, enter your Roblox username and password, then click Log In.

Is Roblox safe for my child?

Roblox is a platform for all ages. But that means both children and adults alike use it on a daily basis. That’s because there are different types of games available for different age groups.

For example, a first-person shooter, such as Phantom Forces, is likely more for older users.

Parental Controls

If you’re concerned about what your child can do on Roblox, consider setting parental controls by doing the following:

• Log in to the account.

• Click the gear icon, and then click Settings.

• On the right-hand side of the Settings page, click Privacy.

• From there, you can adjust both Contact Settings and Other Settings.

• If your child is 12 or younger, you can choose Friends or No one.

• If your child is 13 or older, there are additional options for interaction with other players.

• If you want additional control, go to the Security section of the Account Settings page. There, you can set a PIN and other account restrictions.

Are there scams in Roblox?

There are reports that some games have scams. For instance, if you’re in need of Robux, scammers may get you to click links with the promise of free Robux.

Account Safety

Follow these tips to keep your account safe:

• Never share your password

• Make your password hard to guess

• Report anyone who asks for your password using the Report Abuse feature

• No such thing as free Robux: Don’t trust players or sites offering free Robux

Here at Children of the Digital Age we afford world class education to help protect parents and children against online harm.

You can contact us by email codainfo@protonmail.com or call us on +353 87 1096087 for more information about what we do.

You can also make a booking for one of our professional courses, or a speaker for your next event.

If you appreciated this article, perhaps you might consider becoming a Children of the Digital Age Patron.

Unlike most other websites, we receive no independent funding. Our editors are unpaid and work entirely voluntarily as do the majority of our contributors but there are inevitable costs associated with running a website.

We depend on our readers to help us, either with regular or one-off payments. You can donate here.

Thank you for your support. It helps us to make a difference.