How Roblox Became a Trusted Playground for Millions of Kids

Newsweek

23-04-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
If you're a parent trying to protect your kids from the dangers of the internet, an online community that has attracted millions of kids probably sounds like your greatest nightmare.
And yet, Roblox has created a platform that has become not only wildly popular among children but trusted by Americans of all ages.
For the first time since 2022, when Newsweek began publishing its annual list of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America in partnership with data firm Statista, Roblox ranked as a leading company in the media and entertainment industry and debuted at No. 21 across all industries.
This year, Roblox scored the highest among consumers across the three categories of trust that were evaluated: consumer trust, employee trust and investor trust.
"It doesn't surprise me that they're on the list," Stephen Balkam, founder and CEO of Family Online Safety Institute (FOSI), told Newsweek. "From the very beginning, they wanted to create a trusted, as-safe-as-we-can-be space. Even as they've grown, even as they've become a public company, that is part of their DNA." FOSI is a nonprofit organization aimed at making "the online world safer for kids and their families."
Describing Roblox as "top-of-class" for both its safety features and creativity, Balkam said, "It's hard to think of another company that has touched on so many of the checkboxes."
"The company is built around this notion that safety is very much a priority," Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer at Roblox, told Newsweek. "We have to build a product that is safe by default—where, no matter who is using the product, no matter how old they say they are, where they're coming from in the world, whatever—we want safety just to be there by default."
To identify which companies Americans trust the most, Statista analyzed some 3,400 eligible companies, which needed to have its headquarters in the United States and needed to have at least $500 million in revenue. Both public and private companies were taken into consideration. This year's list awarded 700 companies across 23 industries, including retail, food and beverage, consumer goods, and energy and utilities, among others.
Overall scores of trustworthiness were determined by the combined scores of a survey, which accounted for 80 percent of the total score, and a social-listening component, which accounted for 20 percent of the total score. The survey included 25,000 participants who submitted more than 10,000 evaluations and evaluated companies on the three categories of trust previously mentioned. Social listening involved aggregating internet mentions of a company across web articles, forums, social networks, comment sections and other media segments.
What Is Roblox?
Billed as "ultimate virtual universe that lets you create, share experiences with friends, and be anything you can imagine," Roblox is a social gaming platform where users can build and play games (roleplaying games, racing games, fighting games and simulator games, among others) and hang out with friends. While Roblox itself is free to play, there are paywalled experiences that users can purchase through the virtual economy around Robux, the platform's virtual currency.
Launched in 2006, Roblox grew rapidly during the pandemic when many kids used it to connect with their friends while locked down at home. Since then, it has become more than just a way for children to socialize. Kaufman said many of the developers he meets with at annual conferences first learned STEM skills by playing Roblox as kids.
"They learned how to code, they learned how to make artwork, they learned how to do audio, they learned how to do all of this stuff," he said. "There's a lot of activity that's happening on Roblox which is really about learning."
Who Is Roblox For?
Of its 85.3 million daily active users, 40 percent of Roblox players are under the age of 13, meaning children account for the majority of users. But that was not David Baszucki and the late Erik Cassel's intention when they created Roblox more than two decades ago.
Roblox made its debut on Newsweek's 2025 ranking of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America. but online safety advocates aren't surprised.
Roblox made its debut on Newsweek's 2025 ranking of the Most Trustworthy Companies in America. but online safety advocates aren't surprised.
Photo Illustration by Newsweek/Roblox
"The reality is that they built this thing, and then when they turned it on and they looked at who was using it, there were a lot of kids," Kaufman said. "From the very, very, very beginning, they were the ones who were doing the moderation and customer support and answering questions."
That genesis of Roblox has effectively created a platform where children are the first users the company thinks about, Kaufman said. He explained that because other large gaming platforms are initially built for adults, those companies are forced to find ways to tighten restrictions when younger users join the community later on. Roblox, on the other hand, operates in the reverse. Their first model is one that is appropriate for even its youngest users.
"I would put them very high up on the list of companies that seem to care," Larry Magid, CEO of ConnectSafely.org, told Newsweek. "They actually have a vice president of civility. It's unheard of to have somebody at that level of the company that focuses on civility. They really work very hard to make it a friendly, comfortable, civil environment for young people." ConnectSafely.org is a nonprofit "dedicated to educating users of connected technology about safety, privacy and security."
The reason that a lot of companies have shied away from the 13-and-under space is because of the requirements that come with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act. The federal law mandates that websites and online services get verifiable parental consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information of anyone under 13.
"Roblox took the opposite approach, and that's to say, 'No, we want to build this for kids and give them a space not just to consume content, but to create it," Balkam said. "Roblox went at it with passion."
Kaufman, who attributes a lot of what Roblox has become to the founding of the company, said while there are players of all ages, the platform believes that, "No matter what age you are, we want you to be safe."
"In order to do that, we moderate all of the content that's submitted to Roblox, and that includes anything that people are uploading to build a game," Kaufman said.
But even the best designed systems have loopholes.
On April 13, a 27-year-old California man was arrested and charged for allegedly kidnapping a 10-year-old child who he was communicating with through Roblox and the messaging platform Discord. After authorities found the missing child, the minor was temporarily taken into protective custody before being released to their family, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
In a statement addressing the incident in Elk Grove, California, a Roblox person called the allegations "deeply troubling."
"Our policies prohibit child endangerment, and we have a range of safety features to guard against predatory behavior. We also partner with law enforcement around the world, and are working tirelessly to enhance our safety systems, processes and policies," the spokesperson said.
Roblox's internal investigation determined that the alleged suspect tried to move his interactions with the victim off of Roblox to a different platform because Roblox does not allow users to send each other images. The company said that the reason criminal actors often try to move communications to platforms with fewer safeguards is to lower the risk of intervention.
Roblox CEO and Co-Creator David Baszucki. Matt Kaufman, Roblox's chief safety officer, told Newsweek that Baszucki and the late Erik Cassel hadn't sought out to build a children's game, but "when they turned [Roblox] on...
Roblox CEO and Co-Creator David Baszucki. Matt Kaufman, Roblox's chief safety officer, told Newsweek that Baszucki and the late Erik Cassel hadn't sought out to build a children's game, but "when they turned [Roblox] on and they looked who was using it, there were a lot of kids." More
Roblox
Balkam called it a "real blow" to everyone involved, but noted that it was interesting the perpetrator moved his communications with the child off of Roblox.
"Parents should understand that [the age restriction for] a site like Discord is a minimum of 13," Balkam said. "I know it's very, very hard to oversee everything your child does, but there's some pretty basic, simple tools to block apps that you're not allowed to be on, including Instagram and Facebook and Snapchat. In fact, most of the apps you have to be 13. Roblox is an exception, and they take exceptional care of their younger users."
For players aged 12 and younger, Roblox filters posts and chat for inappropriate content and to prevent any personal information from being shared on the platform. At 13, players have the ability to use more words and phrases than younger players, but they are still unable to use "strong language" until they verify their age as 17 and above. No matter what age, language used to harass, discriminate, incite violence, threaten others, or in a sexual context is never permitted on Roblox, the platform's policy states.
What Happens on Roblox As Kids Grow Up?
Because the platform is so popular among kids, Roblox also faces the unique challenge of having to create age-appropriate content that users can still play even as they mature.
"Parental controls are great for young children, but at some point, children turn into teens and teens turn into adults," Magid said. "You have to think about how you do [restrictions] in ways that loosen up over time."
So, while other platforms might be asking how to make their games more kid-friendly, Roblox faces a different set of questions.
"When is it time to give them more freedom? What are we comfortable with? How would that happen?" Kaufman asked. "What are the criteria you have to meet before you can access [more mature content]?"
Roblox has gated several new features, like voice communication, that only players who are 13 and up can access. The platform also has 17+ experiences that require age verification with a government-issued ID. Roblox's decisions on what content and features should be available to each age group is made with advice from child development experts, policymakers and rating agencies.
"We always want to be in a position to provide more information to parents and guardians, so they know what their kids are doing," Kaufman said.
Building trust among families is crucial for digital media companies like Roblox.
While 31 percent of parents believe the internet has a mostly positive impact on children, 27 percent believe it has a mostly negative impact and 42 percent were somewhere in the middle, according to a 2024 poll conducted by the National Parent Teacher Association, the oldest and largest child advocacy association in the country. The survey also found that 65 percent of parents report worrying a lot or somewhat about their child's safety online.
To address these concerns, Roblox offers numerous guides and resources to help parents feel empowered to support their children online. Its parental control options also allow families to block their children from specific games and experiences, to limit how much time their children can spend on Roblox and to manage which friends their children play with online.
How Roblox Wants to Help Parents Engage With Their Children
Kaufman, Roblox's chief safety officer, said the company is particularly cognizant about the fact that the decisions Roblox is making on its platform are decisions being made for families of different backgrounds and from all over the world. He said that because "every family is so different," what an expert finds to be appropriate for a child of a certain age may not be what their guardian feels to be suitable for their family.
That's why the goal for Roblox's Safety and Civility team is dialogue.
"We want to give parents the tools, so that they can have that conversation with their kids about what they're doing and what they're experiencing [online], and then, make decisions that make sense for that family," Kaufman said.
It helps that parents of today are more likely to have grown up with the internet and thus, are better equipped to have these conversations in ways that previous older generations are not, Balkam said. But no matter the level of tech-savviness, Balkam sees Roblox's design as a guide for all parents.
"In the early years, when you have kids in elementary school for instance, you want to have the full parental controls locked in—the classic helicopter parent, if you will, online," he said.
He continued, "Then somewhere around middle school, definitely into high school, the training wheels start to come off, and we talk more about being a co-pilot with your children and sitting down with them and saying, 'Okay, we're going to take off some of the restrictions but you show me how you're going to report stuff on this platform. Show me where the privacy settings are. Let's look at this together before I totally let you go.'"
Balkam said the incident in Elk Grove underscores how important it is for parents to be involved in their children's digital lives, and make sure that their online play remains on platforms that parents have approved of and which have safeguards for younger users.
"Having those sorts of conversations is incredibly important, because kids are gullible. Adults are gullible too, but kids are particularly gullible and can be persuaded to do stuff that they wouldn't otherwise do in the offline space," he said.
Balkam encouraged parents to have these conversations with their kids not only to keep them safe, but also because this dialogue can be "a form of love" for many children who are looking for their parents' attention.
Having witnessed how much children enjoy talking about their games or online experiences, Balkam called on parents to put down their own screens to engage with their kids' virtual lives.
"They'll love you for it," he said.