How to Keep Your Kids Safer on Multiplayer Games Like Roblox
10 Steps to Keep Kids Safe on Roblox
Roblox is all the rage with the under 12 group these days and that’s giving parents some concerns. They’re concerned that their kids are seeing pornographic images, entering into chatrooms with people they don’t know, and downloading viruses to the computer that affect the entire household.
While you don’t necessarily want to tell them “no” they can’t play these games, many parents just aren’t sure how to deal with the potential risks so “no” becomes the default answer. I’ve got a few steps you can take that should hopefully ease your mind and set them up for success so that it’s “game on” in your house!
- Use the parental controls – Roblox accounts that are set up for kids 12 and under have parental controls where parents can control the settings such as shutting off the chat capability.
- Personal information – As soon as your kids are able to use any form of device or computer, you should begin the conversation about not giving out ANY personal information. This is especially true once they begin using any site that has chat capabilities.
- How much screen time – Monitor how much screen time they get with multiplayer game sites and consider keeping computers, gaming equipment, etc. in a central location – not their rooms.
- Teach them not to be fooled – As parents, we know that people aren’t always what they seem (and even we get tricked now and again) but it’s pretty easy to catfish a kid. Teach them that just because someone’s profile says they’re an 11-year-old kid from Atlanta, doesn’t mean that they really are.
- Monitoring software – Install monitoring software and virus protection software on ALL their devices and computers. This will reduce the chance of your network being hacked as well as allowing you to see what sites they’re visiting. For monitoring software, I recommend Bark. (affiliate link)
- Choose the right account – If your family decides to let them play Roblox, set the account up together. This way you know for certain that they’re using the U12 version which is monitored more closely by the company.
- Coach them on what to do – Coach your kids on what to do should they see something inappropriate while playing the game. A good rule of thumb is to have them stop playing immediately, come get the parent, you screenshot it yourself, and then send it to the moderators to handle.
- Play the game yourself – As I advise when it comes to social media and your teens, it’s not a bad idea for you to play the game yourself. You don’t need to be an expert but it will pay dividends for you to have a basic understanding of how the platform works.
- Monitor their private messages – This is for the next level of the platform – the 13 and upside. This is the version that isn’t as heavily monitored and has the chat function. Occasionally check their messages to be sure that they aren’t having inappropriate conversations and only conversing with their teammates or friends. Since they may be playing with kids they “don’t know” personally, this is where step #2 comes back into play.
- Consider two-step verification – With two-step verification, you will receive a text when they are trying to get online to play. In order to play, you’ll get an email with a 6 digit code that they will need in order to play. An extra step for you, yes, but you’ll know when they’re getting on and it also prevents strangers from accessing their accounts.
Something else you want to keep your eyes on – Robux which are used to purchase upgrades for their avatar or to buy special abilities in games. They’ll need a credit card to buy the Robux, so use caution and know that it can add up pretty quickly.
One of the key things to remember is that any gaming site that has user-generated content is susceptible to ‘bad things’. If you put some or all of these steps into play, you’ll save yourself a lot of headaches and hopefully keep them much safer when they play.
Good luck!
Need help knowing what you’re kids are doing online and on their devices? Sign up for one of my workshops!
This post originally appeared on my personal blog.