The popular game Roblox has an official age rating and FSK – or USK in this case. There are also unofficial recommendations for parents.
Official age rating and FSK: Roblox is rated 12
Roblox is a popular online game among children and teenagers. Visually, Roblox appears colorful and harmless. However, the game also harbors dangers. This makes an age restriction all the more important. Roblox attracts children to their screens with colorful characters and worlds that are visually reminiscent of the Lego universe. But appearances can be deceiving. Roblox is not as harmless as it seems.
- Roblox users can choose from over 50 million games. Not all content is suitable for children. Although there are filters designed to protect against content that is not suitable for children, they do not always work.
- For a long time, there was no official age restriction for Roblox in terms of legal youth media protection. The reason: content that only appears online is not subject to mandatory review. This has now changed. According to USK – Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body) – Roblox is approved for ages 12 and up.
- The educational game ratings from Spieleratgeber NRW and Spielbar.de have also issued an age recommendation. Here, too, the game is suitable for children aged twelve and above. Younger children should therefore steer clear of this online game.
- When registering, Roblox states in its terms of use that account creation must be approved by a parent or guardian if the child or young person is under 18 years of age. However, Roblox does not further verify whether parental consent has been given.
Be aware of the risks of Roblox and take precautions
There are various reasons why Spieleratgeber NRW and Spielbar.de have issued such a relatively high age recommendation. One reason is that the content mentioned above is not always suitable for children and the filters are not reliable. In addition, the selection of games is now so large that Roblox cannot check all of their content – for example, with regard to violence, racism, or other disturbing content.
- In addition, there are in-app purchases that can tempt children and young people to spend a lot of money on additional equipment and other items. The chat function, which allows strangers to contact children and young people, is also considered critical.
- Data protection has also been criticized and was described as “unacceptable” and “questionable” by Stiftung Warentest in 2024. The reason: passwords and player names are passed on to the provider. A tracking ID allows users and devices to be uniquely identified.
- It is important for parents to know how they can protect their children on Roblox. First, the account should be set up together. In the settings, you can activate account restrictions under “Privacy.” This means that your child can only play games that have been checked by Roblox and are recommended for their age group – although these filters are not always effective. This makes it all the more important that you always ask your child to show you the games and content they are viewing. Important: The settings under “Privacy” also disable the chat function.
- In the settings under the “Security” menu item, you can also set up an account PIN. This prevents your child from undoing the settings you have made.
- It is also important that you talk to your child about not sharing personal information and not making any purchases that require payment. If you make your child aware of this, they will be able to play more responsibly when they are old enough.
