Roblox removes condemned Utoya game—but the problem on the platform is more widespread.

The games on the online platform Roblox resemble small Lego figures—something you might assemble on a Sunday morning on the couch in front of the TV. The characters in these games are just as angular and blocky, appearing just as harmless.

But not everything on Roblox is for children.

On Roblox, where children as young as six can play, create, and publish video games, there was recently a game based on the 2011 terror attack on Utøya, where Anders Behring Breivik killed 69 people at a political youth camp.

The challenge with Roblox is that it looks so cute and innocent that we’ve forgotten to be concerned in time, says Sofus Bynge, a gaming and digital community specialist at Center for Digital Pædagogik.

The content that elsewhere would warrant a high age verification slips through the cracks on Roblox.

The game was called *Utøya! (Norwegian back story)* with the subtitle *murderer on a Norwegian island*. The premise, as the title suggests, was that players would run around on a Norwegian island and shoot, while being hunted by a man in police uniform who fired back at them.

Utøya is a shared historical trauma that children might have heard about or seen clips of. So sitting and playing a game where you can walk around the island can feel extremely violent and unsettling for kids, says Melissa Vardy, Børns Vilkår’s own digital media expert.

Even though it’s a game, it can deeply affect children.

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**What is Roblox?**

Roblox is the world’s largest online gaming platform, used by millions of children and young people globally.

Roblox is one of the most popular online games in the world, with millions of daily players.

It’s not just a game but a game library where users contribute by creating their own games.

Content is divided into four age groups: all ages, 9+, 13+, and 17+, but these restrictions don’t follow any overarching guidelines.

On Roblox, you can add friends and message them privately if registered as over 13.

As a parent, you can create a parent-controlled account to limit what children can access on Roblox.

In many games, it’s possible to chat with other players. The chat function is censored.

Roblox employs moderators to monitor communication and shut down games violating guidelines. However, moderators have faced criticism for not acting fast enough.

Since content is user-generated, new games constantly emerge that may break rules before being removed.

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**Lack of Moderation – NYT and The Guardian**

The game was available on Roblox until it was removed last week. It’s unclear how many played it or which age groups were involved.

According to the Norwegian media outlet VG, it was the Norwegian organization Barnevakten—which provides advice on children, youth, and media—that reported the game directly to a Roblox representative. Apparently, Roblox’s reporting system failed to respond, even though the game violated the platform’s own guidelines.

There have likely been many such games, and Roblox can barely control them. What they *can* control is removing them quickly, says Melissa Vardy.

Read also: *Children at risk of exploitation in popular online game*

The danger lies in the lack of oversight when anyone can create content on the platform, says Sofus Bynge.

Many users enjoy testing boundaries, so there can be sexually explicit content or various forms of crime, like drug trafficking to minors, he notes.

Most of it is fortunately removed, but there’s always a vast cultural context that can’t be automatically filtered out.

Are you a parent of a child on Roblox? Here are three practical tips from Børns Vilkår on navigating the platform:

This isn’t the first time Roblox has faced backlash.

Here at home, Denmark’s Intelligence Service has written about the risks of spreading propaganda on the gaming site.

Last week, *The Guardian* reported how an 18-year-old suspect in a Canadian school shooting had created a school shooting simulator on Roblox before the attack. The *New York Times* has also described how adults use the platform to recruit children and teens into criminal activities.

Roblox tells DR that they use artificial intelligence, among other tools, to check whether guidelines are followed.

“We have a dedicated team of investigators who proactively search for this kind of violence [terrorism, ed.], and we can take swift action against content and accounts violating our rules,” writes a Roblox spokesperson to DR.

“No system is perfect. We work with leading organizations and authorities to stay informed about trends in the threat landscape and use these insights to improve our systems.”

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**Three Tips for Parents**

According to both Melissa Vardy and Sofus Bynge, the solution isn’t to completely exclude children from the platform, which also includes child-friendly games for the youngest age groups.

Gaming communities can act as “social glue,” as Sofus Bynge puts it, and the built-in chat function is sometimes used by adults with malicious intent, such as grooming.

However, if your child uses the platform, you can take precautions.

Børns Vilkår guides parents on setting up parental controls and suggests having a conversation about it.

Understanding how the platform works together—and even learning some of its internal slang—can help.

From Melissa Vardy and Børns Vilkår, here are three concise pieces of advice:

1. **Play together.** Sit down and play a game with your child. Try exploring Roblox side by side to build shared awareness.

2. **Set clear rules.** Establish guidelines on how much time and money can be spent on the platform.

3. **Manage chat access.** Decide whether chat should be open or restricted—something parents can influence directly.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.