Players create ‘condos’, online rooms where they discuss sex and use their avatars to engage in virtual sex
Roblox, the hugely popular online children’s game platform, is used to hold parties featuring strippers or naked avatars that simulate sex.
The platform provides a staggering level of creativity and young players can use a variety of online tools to develop their games and worlds, which other users are also able to visit and try out. However, there are allegations that users are breaking the game’s rules and hosting explicit sex parties that other young children can join in.
Globally, more than 200 million people visit Roblox, which is a very popular online platform with young children between the ages of nine and 12. The existence of ‘sex rooms’ within Roblox sparked great concerns to parents since it is very likely their kids to accidentally join one of these rooms.
The ‘sex rooms’ are commonly referred to by Roblox users as ‘condos’ and their creators make use of the online space to discuss sex or even use their avatars to engage in virtual sexual activities. Reports in the media speak of particularly obscene content inside the ‘condos’. These are naked avatars dancing or having sex, as well as other avatars watching or trying to participate.
Roblox is aware of the sex problem
Roblox is aware of this issue and says that ‘condos’ are extremely rare since there is only a small subset of players who break the platform’s rules and hold the ‘sex rooms’. The online game platform also stresses that ‘condos’ are live for only a few minutes since Roblox technical department is constantly discovering these rooms and taking them offline. To perform this review and pinpoint any inappropriate content in the platform, Roblox applies a manual and automated system. The company has also developed Parental Control tools, which can be used to restrict children’s interactions within Roblox.
“As our diverse community has grown, so have the platform functionality and resources we have created to both protect and empower our community. We have built rigorous new systems and improved existing ones. We’ve created a rich suite of free tools for anyone who wants to build on Roblox. And we’ve hired the most talented and well-trained employees across our trust and safety and moderation teams. We’re proud of this foundation. And our work and focus on safety will always continue, especially as Roblox supports an even wider variety of experiences and our community grows even larger and more diverse” Roblox underlined on an official announcement about its Parental Control tools.
“Our safety systems and teams are constantly evolving and innovating to ensure everyone has a positive and healthy experience on Roblox, every day. For example, in 2021 we implemented multiple new machine-learning-based systems and significantly increased the number of human moderators reviewing Roblox for bad content. As a result, in 2021 we saw an 84% reduction in the number of users who were exposed to any experiences that violated our policies. This year – and every year – we continue to aggressively improve both our proactive and reactive detection methods” Roblox noted.
Children who use Roblox are not only at risk of being exposed to sexual material but also of virtually meeting adults, who also use the platform. This is due to fact that the online game platform provides the option of instant messages, where players can talk to each other, and everyone else playing the game. This is not the first time that parents have expressed concern about this platform and what their children can experience through it, despite Roblox assurances that the environment is safe for young children.
