The Phone Years
"My friend wants me to add him on Roblox."
What to say
Younger kids
"I love that you want to play with your friend, and we will find a way for you two to hang out. Here is the thing about Roblox though, it is not just a game, it has open chat and lets people you do not know in real life talk to you. That is the part I am not okay with yet. Let's set up a real playdate or a call with him instead."
Middle kids
"I get why you want to add him, wanting to connect with your friends outside of school makes total sense. But Roblox has chat, friend requests, and private servers where strangers can end up in the mix, often in ways I cannot see in the moment. So we are not doing Roblox right now, not because of you, but because of how it is built. Let's find another way for you and your friend to stay close."
Older kids
"You are old enough to get the real reason, so here it is. Roblox looks like one game, but it is actually a giant social platform with open chat and strangers, and that is the part I am protecting you from, not the playing itself. I am not against you connecting with your friends, I am for it. Let's pick a way to do that, in person or on a call, that does not come with all of that built in."
What not to say
"Roblox is dangerous." Scare words make you sound uninformed and shut the conversation down. Name the specific design issue, the open chat and strangers, instead.
Why this matters
Roblox looks like one simple game but it's a huge social platform with open chat and strangers. This keeps the focus on staying connected with the friend through something offline, so your kid hears here is another way instead of just no.
Follow-up questions
- "What do you and your friend like to do together most?"
- "Could we set up a time for him to come over instead?"
- "Who else is usually in the Roblox servers you play in?"