Cherie Magsanoc has one nonnegotiable rule in allowing her 10-year-old daughter to play Roblox: Only with friends she knows.
The moment a stranger joins the game or tries to interact with her, Magsanoc reminds her child to stop immediately and leave the game, and to tell that unknown person that her parents said so.
Roblox is a global online gaming platform that allows users to both play and develop games. Since its official launch in 2006, it has remained one of the world’s most popular gaming platforms.
Roblox Corp.’s first-quarter earnings report this year recorded 132 million daily active users. In the Philippines, the estimate is 6 million, according to the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), citing Roblox’s own figures.
Despite its popularity among younger users, incidents involving harassment, inappropriate content, and other safety issues continue to emerge on the platform.
“What worries me the most is that she could be playing with people she doesn’t know,” Magsanoc said in an interview with CoverStory.
“I am very much aware of the dangers of Roblox, because there are actually some predators inside of it,” she said, “I’m worried that she might meet some perverts online.”
The platform is multiplayer and allows users to interact with one another through in-game text chat, private messaging, and voice chat. Parents are afraid that these communication features will expose their children to inappropriate interactions.
One recent case led to the arrest by the National Bureau of Investigation of a 19-year-old male in Pampanga on June 30 for allegedly enticing minors to send sexually explicit videos online through Roblox. He was charged with violation of Republic Act No. 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and the Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials Act.
The suspect “allegedly persuaded a minor to engage in sexual activity and send sexually exploitative images in exchange for Robux, the virtual currency used in the online gaming platform Roblox,” the NBI said.
Further investigation by the NBI-VAWCD (Violence Against Women and Children Division) found that the suspect was “linked to” multiple CyberTipline reports and uncovered an earlier complaint filed by the mother of a 10-year-old victim alleging that the suspect manipulated and coerced the child into creating and sending sexually explicit videos.
The NBI said “the suspect was actively communicating online with another child, aged 12, whom he was allegedly attempting to entice into performing sexual acts.”
A social media video post by content creator Shiela Nanquil sparked conversations and concerns when she shared a disturbing experience involving her son on Roblox.
In the video, her son said a player, with the username “james489,” instructed him to remove his shorts, run, and jump, claiming it was part of a “game task” in exchange for a “trophy” and to unlock the “next stages.”
The video later showed her son crying. When his mother asked if he was scared, he replied, “Yes.”
These incidents mirror the concerns of many parents whose children actively use Roblox. To help reduce these risks, parents are advised to adjust the platform’s privacy and safety settings.
Game private servers
Most games on Roblox allow users to create private servers, where only friends and invited players can join. Magsanoc suggested that other parents do this as much as possible so their children know who they are playing with rather than with people they have only met online.
“Those are the dangerous ones. The public servers are where the people they’re playing with pretend to be a child when they’re actually not,” she said.
The user can enable or disable the “Friends Allowed” feature, depending on whether they want their friends to join. If a child still prefers to play on public servers, parents can reduce the potential risks by disabling the in-game text chat.
Users can also disable direct messages, which will prevent other players from sending private messages.
Beyond these precautions, Roblox has also introduced other safety measures related to the chat feature on the platform.
In December 2025, Roblox required users to verify their ages through a facial age check to access chat on the platform. In January 2026, the requirement was rolled out globally where chat was available.
“As the first large online gaming platform to require facial age checks for users of all ages to access chat, this implementation is our next step toward what we believe will be the gold standard for communication safety. It enables age-based chat, which promotes a positive, age-appropriate experience for all users globally, and limits communication between adults and children younger than 16,” Roblox said.
Roblox also censors inappropriate language and other content that violates its community standards by replacing them with hashtags (#). Its real-time chat rephrasing feature automatically rephrases messages to filter inappropriate text all while preserving conversation flow.
Limited screen time
Aside from playing on a private server, Magsanoc has limited the time her daughter spends on video games.
“She’s not allowed to play all the time. Most of the time, she only plays at night,” she said. “That’s the only time I allow her to play.”
“I would like to advise parents to give their children only a limited time to play,” she said. “At the same time, the parents should also be creative in giving their children space and ideas on how they will use their time. Parents should teach their children to actually play outside of Roblox where they will exert physical effort.”
If the kids have difficulty following these reminders, parents may consider setting limits on their screen time.
Game content restrictions
Aside from the risks associated with interacting with other players, the type of games and content children are exposed to has also become a growing concern for parents. Following the June 22 school shooting in Tacloban City, some parents have grown more wary of the games their children play, fearing they may be influenced by their content.
Roblox allows users to control and limit game content.
If Roblox detects that a registered account belongs to a child, the platform will require the user to undergo age verification. Until then, games that are deemed inappropriate for their age remain locked.
Parents who are unable to supervise their children all the time while they’re playing may consider setting up Roblox’s parental controls by linking their email account. This feature allows them to manage and adjust privacy settings and monitor their children’s gaming activities. (See story below.)
If a user behaves suspiciously or engages in inappropriate or malicious interactions with a child, other users can report them.
To further strengthen user safety, Roblox recently introduced a major update to its in-game reporting tools, making it easier for users to report offensive players and making the reporting process much faster through “more intuitive reporting flow.”
Continuous monitoring
Amid growing concerns over children’s safety on gaming platforms, Roblox remains among one that is being closely monitored by the government.
In response, the Senate reopened its inquiry into online gaming platforms, including Roblox, last July 1 following the Tacloban shooting to determine how they could be used to exploit and victimize children.
That inquiry was based on the March 23 Senate Resolution No. 357 filed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros to conduct an inquiry into Roblox and other gaming platforms and to recommend mandatory age verification measures and child safety standards to help prevent online child exploitation, grooming, and other digital threats.
This followed the one-month ultimatum imposed on Roblox on March 20 from the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) to address serious allegations of illegal activities on the platform.
The agency said in a Facebook post that the platform “has become a hunting ground for threat actors, including pedophiles and drug traffickers.” The CICC warned that if Roblox failed to cooperate with the Philippine government, it would face “a total nationwide block.”
The possible nationwide ban has sparked public discussions.
One reaction to the Facebook post noted that children were exposed to inappropriate content on other gaming platforms and the entire internet. A certain Jira Tawinan said that banning a game was a “lazy solution” that ignored the lack of parental responsibility and “digital guidance” for children.
Parents and guardians
Following an agreement with Roblox, the CICC and the Philippine National Police announced on April 14, a “green lane” was established to allow parents and guardians to report any Roblox-related concerns through Hotline 1326, especially cases that involve harmful content and threat actors they may encounter within the platform.
The DICT appealed for support and cooperation from all parents and guardians by monitoring their children’s activities to ensure that the “contents that they engage with, not only on Roblox but on the internet in general, are appropriate for their age and will positively contribute to their development and behavior.”
Magsanoc said parents should remain in control and set clear boundaries when it comes to their children’s online gaming activities.
“I believe that games that we have like Roblox are not intended to actually become something as dangerous as they are now. It just so happens that there are people who find ways to really make something bad out of something good,” she said.
“Parents really should be intentional in their parenting of their children,” Magsanoc said. “The responsibility should always be on the side of the parents.” CS
Fionna Andrada, a third-year journalism student at the University of the Philippines’ College of Media and Communication in Diliman, is an intern at CoverStory.ph
How to activate safety measures in Roblox
Safety and privacy settings for Roblox as of July 14, 2026
A. Game private servers
To create a private server:
1. Click on the game.
2. Scroll down to Servers tab.
3. Click Create a private server.
4. The user can enable or disable Friends Allowed, depending on whether they want their friends to join.
B. In-game chat and private messaging restrictions
To disable in-game text chat:
1. On the left side of the home screen, click More.
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Privacy & content restrictions and select Communication.
4. Open Experience chat and click Off. Users can also disable direct messaging by setting the feature to Off.
C. Setting screen time
To set screen time:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Click Privacy & content restrictions; select Screen time.
3. Select preferred duration of time.
D. Game content restrictions
To restrict game content:
1. Go to Settings.
2. Click Privacy & content restrictions; open Content maturity.
3. Adjust the slider according to your preference.
Maturity levels
Minimal: Contains occasional mild violence, light unrealistic blood and/or occasional mild fear. Suitable for all ages.
Mild: Contains repeated mild violence, heavy unrealistic blood, mild crude humor, and/or repeated mild fear.
Moderate: Contains repeated moderate violence, light realistic blood, moderate crude humor, unplayable gambling content, and/or moderate fear.
Restricted: Contains strong violence, heavy realistic blood, moderate crude humor, romantic themes, unplayable gambling content, strong language, the presence of alcohol, and/or moderate fear.
Blocking and reporting users
To report a user while in a game:
1. Click Roblox icon at the top-left corner of the screen.
2. Click the Report tab.
3. Select and choose the Type of Abuse, Which Person, and Reason for Abuse. You may also add a short description.
4. Once done, click Submit.
To report a user from their profile:
1. Click their profile.
2. Click the three dots and select Report. Users can also block them by clicking the Block tab. CS
