Parents Guide → Communication Guide
Understanding Roblox Communication
Everything parents need to know about chat, voice, and social features. Real safety data, expert recommendations, and strategies for healthy online interactions.
Communication Safety
8 min read
Expert Guidance
Roblox Communication Features
Text Chat
Real-time text messaging during gameplay
Safety Level:
75%
9+ with supervision
Safety Features:
- Automatic content filtering
- Profanity and inappropriate content blocking
- Personal information detection and removal
- Reporting and blocking capabilities
- Chat history logging (limited)
Parental Controls:
- Disable chat completely
- Limit to friends only
- Enable account restrictions for stricter filtering
- Set up chat monitoring alerts
Risk Factors:
- Potential exposure to inappropriate language
- Cyberbullying possibilities
- Social pressure and peer influence
- Attempts to share personal information
Voice Chat
Real-time voice communication with other players
Safety Level:
60%
13+ with age verification
Safety Features:
- Age verification required (13+)
- Spatial voice chat (proximity-based)
- Mute and block capabilities
- Reporting system for voice abuse
- Parental controls to disable
Parental Controls:
- Disable voice chat entirely
- Require age verification
- Monitor voice chat usage
- Set friends-only voice chat
Risk Factors:
- Harder to monitor than text chat
- Potential for voice-based harassment
- Exposure to inappropriate conversations
- Difficulty in reporting voice incidents
Private Messaging
Direct messages between users outside of games
Safety Level:
65%
12+ with monitoring
Safety Features:
- Content filtering applied
- Ability to disable completely
- Block and report functions
- Friends-only messaging options
- Parental notification settings
Parental Controls:
- Disable private messaging
- Limit to friends only
- Enable message notifications
- Regular message history reviews
Risk Factors:
- Private nature makes monitoring difficult
- Potential for grooming attempts
- Sharing of personal information
- Pressure to move conversations off-platform
Age-Specific Communication Guidelines
6-8 Years
No Communication
Recommended Settings:
Chat: Disabled
Voice: Disabled
Messages: Disabled
Supervision: Constant supervision required
Implementation Guidelines:
- Disable all communication features
- Play only single-player or family games
- Supervise all gaming sessions
- Explain why communication is disabled
- Focus on creative and educational games
Watch for These Red Flags:
- Any attempt to communicate with strangers
- Requests to enable chat features
- Mentions of other players or friends
- Wanting to play multiplayer games
9-12 Years
Limited Communication
Recommended Settings:
Chat: Friends only
Voice: Disabled
Messages: Friends only (supervised)
Supervision: Regular monitoring and discussion
Implementation Guidelines:
- Enable friends-only chat with supervision
- Regularly review friend requests and list
- Discuss appropriate online communication
- Monitor chat interactions when possible
- Teach reporting and blocking procedures
Watch for These Red Flags:
- Secretive behavior about online friends
- Requests to add unknown people as friends
- Mentions of meeting online friends in person
- Inappropriate language or topics in chat
13-15 Years
Monitored Communication
Recommended Settings:
Chat: Friends only or Everyone (monitored)
Voice: Friends only (if mature)
Messages: Friends only
Supervision: Periodic check-ins and open communication
Implementation Guidelines:
- Allow broader communication with guidelines
- Discuss digital citizenship and online etiquette
- Encourage reporting of inappropriate behavior
- Monitor for signs of cyberbullying
- Teach critical thinking about online relationships
Watch for These Red Flags:
- Mood changes after gaming sessions
- Reluctance to discuss online interactions
- Excessive secrecy about gaming activities
- Signs of cyberbullying or harassment
16-18 Years
Guided Independence
Recommended Settings:
Chat: All options available
Voice: All options available (age verified)
Messages: All options available
Supervision: Trust with accountability and open dialogue
Implementation Guidelines:
- Respect growing independence while maintaining dialogue
- Focus on digital citizenship and responsibility
- Encourage self-advocacy and reporting
- Discuss long-term digital footprint implications
- Support healthy online relationship boundaries
Watch for These Red Flags:
- Extreme secrecy about online activities
- Signs of online predation or manipulation
- Unhealthy online relationship patterns
- Neglecting real-world relationships for online ones
Communication Safety Strategies
Proactive Education
Teaching children about safe online communication before issues arise
- Discuss the difference between online and offline relationships
- Explain why personal information should never be shared
- Teach recognition of inappropriate requests or behavior
- Practice reporting and blocking procedures together
- Role-play different communication scenarios
Active Monitoring
Regularly checking and reviewing your child's communication activities
- Review friends lists weekly
- Check recently played games for social interaction
- Monitor mood changes after gaming sessions
- Ask open-ended questions about online interactions
- Use parental control software for additional oversight
Open Communication
Maintaining ongoing dialogue about online experiences
- Create a judgment-free environment for sharing concerns
- Regularly ask about online friends and interactions
- Share your own experiences with online communication
- Discuss current events related to online safety
- Encourage questions and provide honest answers
Incident Response
Having a clear plan for when communication issues arise
- Stay calm and thank child for reporting issues
- Document incidents with screenshots when possible
- Report inappropriate behavior to Roblox immediately
- Block problematic users and review friend lists
- Use incidents as learning opportunities
Warning Signs to Monitor
Important: These warning signs don't necessarily indicate danger, but they warrant closer attention and open conversation with your child.
Behavioral Changes
- Becoming secretive about gaming activities
- Mood changes after gaming sessions
- Reluctance to discuss online friends
- Wanting to play at unusual hours
- Defensive when asked about online activities
Communication Red Flags
- Mentions of meeting online friends in person
- Requests for personal information from others
- Inappropriate language or topics in conversations
- Pressure to keep relationships secret
- Gifts or special treatment from online friends
Social Concerns
- Preferring online friends over real-life friends
- Isolation from family and offline activities
- Signs of cyberbullying or harassment
- Excessive emotional investment in online relationships
- Attempts to move conversations to other platforms
Ready to Configure Communication Settings?
Use our step-by-step parental controls guide to configure communication settings appropriate for your child's age and maturity level.