An independent game developer for Roblox says he believes the platform's child safety measures, including age verification checks, do not go far enough.

Roblox is the most popular gaming platform in the UK among eight to 12-year-olds.

In an exclusive interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, the developer - whom the BBC is not naming at their request - said parents should monitor their children on the platform "24/7, and if that's not possible then they shouldn't be playing Roblox".

A spokesperson for Roblox said "safety is a top priority, and we have advanced safeguards and filters designed to prevent harmful content and communications on our platform to keep all our users safe".

In 2024, Roblox averaged more than 80 million global players per day - with roughly 40% of them under the age of 13.

The developer, "Sam", did not want us to use his real name but contacted the BBC after hearing an interview on 5 Live Breakfast with Matt Kaufman, Roblox's chief safety officer.

In the interview, Kaufman spoke about the numerous safety checks the platform employed, including the mandatory age verification checks which were rolled out in January 2026 for all users in the UK.

Sam, who is not employed by Roblox, is an independent developer on the platform that is contracted by Roblox to make games. He also works in a voluntary capacity for a non-profit online safety organisation.

He said he had seen first-hand how safety is nothing like he [Kaufman] was portraying it to be.

Roblox is a platform where users can create their own games or play games made by other creators. It is set up like an open world, where players can interact with each other. Creators also have to provide a description of the game and a content maturity label, which is used to assign it to an appropriate age range.

Any player can create games and make money from advertising or by charging other users to play. Some are also on Roblox's creator programme, where they are paid directly by Roblox depending on user engagement or bringing in new audiences.

Critics say the platform should do more to protect the millions of very young players on the platform, with some alleging it is a target for groomers. Others claim it can expose children to harmful or violent content through the types of games created.

Sam said: "I've seen people on this platform be lured into engaging in ways that they shouldn't with complete strangers."

He said, in his role as a safety monitor, he had also seen reports of "people leading others off platform" to have conversations away from the game, something he said "Roblox does not allow".

Sam added: "I have seen games where the goal is to shoot as many people as possible in the depicted version of Sandy Hook or Columbine. I've seen remakes of Epstein Island on Roblox."

He said concerns were flagged via a form, but added "maybe 30% actually get accepted".

Asked what advice he had for parents of children entering the world of gaming who had never used Roblox before, Sam said: "When playing Roblox, children need to be monitored 24/7. And if that's not possible, then they shouldn't be playing Roblox."

In a statement given to the BBC, Roblox said it took "swift action against those found to be breaking our rules". It said it operated an age check process certified by independent experts so children were limited, by default, to chatting with users who were of a similar age.

"We also continuously monitor user behaviour. If we detect signs their actions do not match their checked age, we prompt users to age check again," it added.

This is not the first time the platform has answered questions about the safety of its young players online.

In March 2025, Roblox Chief Executive Dave Baszucki told BBC News that the company went to great lengths to keep children safe.

However, he also urged parents to be guided by their own instincts.

"My first message would be, if you're not comfortable, don't let your kids be on Roblox," he said.

"That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions."

The platform has since rolled out mandatory age verification worldwide, and has made changes to safety on its platform including blocking children from being able to chat to adults.

Countries including Russia and Turkey have banned Roblox altogether, citing child safety concerns.

Indonesia has also included it in a list of platforms banned for under-16s, which comes into force on 28 March.

Australia's social media ban for under-16s does not include Roblox, though some campaigners there have called for it to be prohibited.

The UK government is also consulting on banning children from using social media, as well as examining other measures to keep young people safer online, including app time limits and curfews.

It announced trials of these potential measures on Wednesday.

It is not clear whether Roblox would be affected by any UK social media ban as the government has not set out which platforms would be in scope for such a restriction.

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