All my kid's friends play Roblox. How do I let them play safely?

Why “just ban it” is hard

For many kids, Roblox is where their friends hang out after school, and often their best friend plays the same game. A ban at home doesn't cover a friend's house or a school device, and it can make your kid less likely to tell you when something goes wrong. A clear set of rules that you can check usually holds up better.

That doesn't mean Roblox is risk-free. Common Sense Media says content labels on Roblox games “are often inaccurate” (Common Sense Media), and several states are suing Roblox over child safety. Saying yes works if you're the one who knows which games and which people.

1. Link your account first

Everything below needs a parent account linked to your kid's account. It takes a few minutes: how to link. Since 2026, kids 5–8 get Roblox Kids (chat off by default) and kids 9–15 get Roblox Select, each with a vetted catalog of games (Roblox newsroom, Apr 2026).

2. Friends: real-life friends only

1. In Settings you manage → Communication, set Friends chat to Trusted friends.
2. Turn Direct chat Off.
3. Under Visibility & private servers, set Show current game to Trusted friends and Private servers to Friends.
4. Approve trusted friends from Pending requests. Under 13, your kid needs your OK for each one.

Settings and labels are from Roblox's Parental Controls Overview. A good rule: trusted friends are kids you or another parent know offline. You can text their parents to confirm usernames.

3. Check the games they play together

After a week, open your kid's Top games: their top 20 games from the last week, with ratings and play time (how to find it). The game their friends play will be near the top. Check it before deciding, since its rating comes from its own creator (maturity ratings explained).

• If it's fine: great, that's the shared game. Keep an eye on new ones.
• If it isn't: block it (how), and tell your kid why in one sentence. It helps to talk to the other parents too. They often don't know either.
• If it's outside your kid's catalog: a linked parent can approve it under Content restrictions → Allowed games (not Restricted games) (Roblox Help: Overview).

4. Time, money and a weekly check

1. Set a Daily limit under Screen time → Manage.
2. Set a Monthly spending limit (0 is fine) and Spending notifications → All transactions.
3. Turn on Activity updates to get a weekly email with their top games.

Spending limits stop at 13, and you can block games until 16 (Roblox Help: as your child gets older).

5. The one rule to say out loud

“If anyone asks you to talk on another app, or to keep a secret, tell me. You won't be in trouble.” Lawsuits say predators meet kids in Roblox games, then move them to Snapchat and Discord (Kentucky AG complaint). Kids who expect to lose Roblox are less likely to tell you, which is one more reason a supervised yes beats a ban.