The digital backyard: why Roblox demands a new kind of parenting

Abd. Rahman, Siti Fatimah and Othman, Khairunnisa and Ahmad, Noorlila (2027) The digital backyard: why Roblox demands a new kind of parenting. In: Supporting Child Development, Family Well-Being, and Healthy Play in the Age of Online Gaming. IGI Global Scientific Publishing, USA, pp. 343-363. ISBN 9798260046548

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Abstract

We keep asking the wrong question. “Is Roblox safe?” sounds reasonable, but it assumes safety is something the platform either has or doesn't. That is not how it works. Roblox is not a toy. It is a backyard. And backyards do not raise kids. Parents do. Seventy million people log in every day. Half of American kids under sixteen have played. That is not just a game. That is where childhood is happening. So the real question is not whether to let them in. It is whether you are going to stand at the door or walk outside with them. This chapter argues for something messier than parental controls and stricter than banning Robux. Call it participatory mediation. That means playing alongside your kid. Talking through why someone just asked for their age. Showing them how to spot a game built to creep past filters. It means treating Roblox Studio, the coding side, as real learning, not a time waster. The risks are real. But the rewards are real too. You cannot parent a platform you do not understand. So stop asking if it is safe. Start asking if you are willing to learn the landscape.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General) T Technology > T Technology (General) T Technology > T Technology (General) > T10.5 Communication of technical information
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Education
Depositing User:	Dr Siti Fatimah Abd Rahman
Date Deposited:	28 Oct 2026 12:11
Last Update:	28 Oct 2026 12:11
Queue Number:	2026-10-Q5851
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/132163
Indexed In:	UNSPECIFIED

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