- Roblox CEO Dave Baszucki advises parents to keep children off the platform if they have safety concerns while defending its moderation systems.
- The platform, with 80 million daily users and 40% under age 13, has implemented measures to protect younger users but security measures can be bypassed.
- Founded in 2004, Roblox has grown into a $41 billion company with ambitions to become "the future of communication."
The chief executive of Roblox has a straightforward message for parents concerned about their children's safety on the platform: don't let them use it.
In an exclusive interview with BBC News, Dave Baszucki, co-founder and CEO of the gaming giant, acknowledged safety concerns while maintaining confidence in the company's protective measures.
"My first message would be if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be on Roblox," Baszucki said. "That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions."
The platform, which averages more than 80 million daily players with approximately 40% under age 13, has faced allegations of children being exposed to explicit content, bullying, and grooming.
It remains the most popular gaming platform in the UK among children aged 8-12.
Baszucki emphasized that "tens of millions" of users have "amazing experiences" on the site while insisting that the company takes an aggressive stance on safety.
"We do in the company take the attitude that any bad, even one bad incident, is one too many," he explained.
Roblox claims to analyze all communications between users, increasingly employing AI systems to flag concerning content for investigation.
The platform implemented stricter safety measures in November 2023, banning under-13s from sending direct messages and participating in "hangout experiences" featuring player chat.
However, BBC investigators were able to create fake accounts and exchange messages that bypassed some safety filters, including attempts to move conversations to other platforms after rewording requests to evade detection.
When shown these findings, Baszucki suggested they highlighted Roblox's comparative safety, arguing that users feel compelled to take potentially rule-breaking content to other platforms.
Founded in 2004 and publicly launched in 2006, Roblox has grown into a $41 billion company featuring some 40 million user-generated games and experiences. The platform surpassed both Nintendo Switch and PlayStation in monthly users.
Looking ahead, Baszucki describes his vision for Roblox as "the future of communication," with ambitions to evolve into a metaverse-style experience and eventually attract 10% of the world's gamers.
Edited by Annette George
