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Many people online blame parents when their children are harmed by strangers on Roblox.

Despite harms that occur on the platform, Roblox presents itself as safe for children.

Many good parents trust platforms like Roblox and unwittingly expose their children to harm.

Last month, a bipartisan group of senators launched an investigation into Roblox for failing to protect the minors who use its platforms from child predators. I've written previously about some of the specific ways Roblox is dangerous for minors and how parents can work to protect their children.

Briefly, Roblox facilitates communication between players, some of whom have bad intentions. Roblox has been sued dozens of times for children being sexually or otherwise physically harmed by people who met them on the platform. They also allow any user to create their own games, many of which are highly inappropriate for children. Their moderation team is insufficient to keep up with millions of users, comments, and games. Many of the moderators of these games are minors themselves.

In the comment section under every article about these harms, someone parrots the same talking point: “Where are the parents? It’s not Roblox’s fault that these irresponsible parents let their children get hurt.”

Of course parents bear responsibility for their children’s safety, but blaming them is misguided.

Roblox promises that it prioritizes child safety and has a reassuring list of steps it has taken to make the games as safe as possible, “partner[ing] with law enforcement, mental health professionals, and global safety experts to guide [its]........

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