Is your child on Roblox? There’s a “party” you need to know about.

If you have a child between the ages of 7 and 17, you probably already know quite a bit about Roblox, the digital playground that invites users to create and share their own 3D games.  

You’d be aware that the main purpose of Roblox is fun, but may also have observed other benefits - for instance, that it can teach kids valuable skills in coding, game design and entrepreneurship. And all of that is true.

But you may also have heard that Roblox can be dangerous - with several reports made by parents about children finding themselves in rooms designed for orgies or lewd sex acts.

Case in point? Digital orgies that any user - no matter what their age - can join. 

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Infamous party rooms

There have been recent reports about a party room within a particular Roblox game that is notorious for such activity, and currently hosts an orgy room lined with beds, cameras and vulgar signage, reports cyber expert Leonie Smith, aka The Cyber Safety Lady.

The game is a social hangout/role-play game within Roblox where kids can engage in a variety of fun digital activities  - from fishing to flower-selling - or set up a home with furniture, go shopping, and adopt cute digital pets. 

So far so good. But here’s the beginning of a problem. Kids can also enter rooms where players can create or join gatherings hosted by other members. 

Currently, a popular room on the game is set up like an orgy room, with beds that have "action-facing" cameras and suggestive signage. 

“This room is not in some dark corner of Roblox,” Leonie reports, “Far from it. It's one of the most popular games in Roblox.”

When Leonie checked in, she found the room was packed with players, all asking questions about what the beds were for, why there were cameras, and what the strange signage meant.

Think this was a one-off?  Think again.

Parties within the game are often ”infested with online daters,” (also known as 'ODers') according to Fandom’s Roblox Wikia. Many of these parties are created “for inappropriate use, such as sexual interactions,” the site reports - despite being in violation of Roblox’s terms of use, and despite the fact that the game's target demographic is young children.

Here’s another creepy feature: players can adopt the identity of a teen or child.

If you’ve heard that Roblox is a magnet for child predators - party rooms are a big reason why. 

Unsafe for young kids

“This is why Roblox needs a 13+ rating,” Leonie insists, and not the 10+ rating it has currently. “The in-game parental controls and filters cannot stop your child seeing this user-made content. They can have chat turned off, but the signs and objects created in the game remain visible.

“Although the language can be ambiguous to a younger child, unfortunately they may get the meaning by searching and asking other children.” Music with explicit rap lyrics is another feature of the “party.”

“I keep seeing this despite Roblox insisting they are doing all they can to keep children safe from unsuitable content. Roblox needs to allow parents to set a controlled environment without public shared servers, as Minecraft allows. 

“And this is why I still cannot recommend Roblox to parents as safe for younger children."