Is Roblox Safe? Think Again.

Inspired by insights from Ben, “The Family-IT-Guy” Cybersecurity expert and dad.

At NUTIC, we work every day to help families understand how online spaces can expose children to real-world dangers — including exploitation and grooming. Recently, cybersecurity expert and parent Ben, known online as The Family IT Guy, raised serious concerns about the popular gaming platform Roblox in a short video that has now sparked national attention.

Watch the video here

Ben explains that after six predators were arrested thanks to a vigilante effort exposing child predators on Roblox, the company responded not by fixing its systems, but by banning the person who caught them. Only after 100,000 people signed a petition and Congress began asking questions did Roblox begin talking about safety.

According to Ben, Roblox claims to prioritize child protection — but the evidence tells another story. The platform reportedly has over 40 million daily users under the age of 13. That’s more children than the entire population of California logging in every day. When Ben tested Roblox’s parental controls himself, he discovered something deeply troubling: even with maximum restrictions, he was able to access games that simulated adult situations — scenes no child should ever see.

The issue isn’t just negligence. As Ben points out, every “oversight” seems to lead to the same outcome — more engagement, more time on the app, and more profit. Games that are supposedly blocked are still shown to kids, tempting them to ask parents for expanded access. That’s not child safety; that’s marketing to minors.

Other child-focused platforms, like YouTube Kids, give parents whitelist options — the ability to choose exactly what content their children can see. Roblox doesn’t offer that, and there’s a reason: restricted kids don’t spend money on Robux.

Now, the company is turning to facial recognition as an “age verification” solution — asking kids to scan their faces. But as Ben warns, that raises serious privacy and security questions. What happens to that biometric data? Is it deleted, or stored? Could it be hacked? A child can’t simply “get a new face” if that information leaks.

At NUTIC, we echo Ben’s call to action for families:

1. No Roblox – Until the company truly prioritizes child safety, there is no completely safe way for kids to use it.

2. Talk to other parents – Share these concerns. Many families simply don’t know what’s happening behind the screen.

3. Demand transparency and accountability – Ask for basic safety features:

   • A whitelist mode like YouTube Kids.

   • Daily activity reports for parents.

   • An end to showing blocked content.

   • Immediate deletion of biometric data.

Roblox has the technology and resources to protect children — but as Ben makes clear, they are choosing not to. Instead of focusing on safety, they’re defending themselves in lawsuits and fighting congressional oversight.

This isn’t about AI or innovation. It’s about whether children are treated as kids to be protected, or products to be monetized.

At the Northern Utah Trafficking Information Coalition (NUTIC), we stand with parents, advocates, and experts like Ben in calling for accountability, transparency, and real safety reform. Our children deserve online spaces built for their well-being, not corporate survival.

Credit:

This post was inspired by insights from Ben, “The Family IT Guy” — a cybersecurity expert and father who shares online safety education for families. Original content referenced from his Instagram short: @family_it_guy.