Deputy warns about threats to children on Roblox

Tengrinews.kz — A member of the Mazhilis, Shapak Unzila, has drawn attention to the risks that Kazakhstani children and teenagers may face on the popular gaming platform Roblox. According to her, the Parliamentary Committee on Social and Cultural Development has been receiving numerous appeals from parents and teachers who are concerned about the game’s impact on the mental well-being of minors.
As the MP noted, hundreds of thousands of children and teenagers in Kazakhstan use Roblox, while experts are increasingly pointing to possible negative consequences — ranging from the development of gaming addiction to social withdrawal from real life and manifestations of aggressive behavior.

“There are cases of virtual addiction, aggressive behavior, loss of interest in real life, as well as exposure to content that does not correspond to age characteristics. As the saying goes, a spark can ignite a flame,” Unzila said during a Mazhilis session.

According to her, the influence of such factors may lead to long-term negative consequences for children’s psychological development.
The MP also expressed particular concern about children’s safety on open online platforms. She pointed out that platforms like Roblox may be used by individuals with criminal intent, including pedophiles and fraudsters.

“Their tactics are simple but applied with surgical precision. First, they gain a child’s trust through a virtual chat, then move the communication to Telegram and may invite them to secret meetings that end in tragic consequences,” Shapak Unzila emphasized.

She added that scammers act in a similar way: they promise children virtual gifts and then ask for parents’ bank card numbers and SMS verification codes, after which money is withdrawn from the accounts.
The MP reminded that Roblox itself claims to have created “the safest environment for children,” but fully controlling a platform with tens of millions of daily users is impossible.
She also stressed that Kazakhstan’s Law on the Rights of the Child obliges state bodies, as well as individuals and legal entities, to protect minors from the negative impact of the social environment and harmful information.
Unzila noted that in a number of countries, administrative measures have already been taken against Roblox over child safety concerns.
What the MP is calling for
In her parliamentary inquiry, Shapak Unzila requested official responses to several questions. In particular, she asked whether any special studies have been conducted in Kazakhstan on the psychological and social impact of Roblox on children and teenagers; whether the possibility of introducing additional control mechanisms for the platform is being considered, taking into account international experience; and whether the Interior Ministry and the Prosecutor General’s Office have recorded cases of fraud, extortion, or other offenses committed via online games.
What Roblox is
Roblox is an online platform where users can play and create games, as well as communicate with each other. According to the company, the platform has around 151.5 million active users each quarter, who spend nearly 40 billion hours there.
In various countries, Roblox has become the subject of investigations and lawsuits due to cases involving minors being drawn into dangerous interactions.
Amid these concerns, the Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights under Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Education has previously urged families to more closely monitor their children’s online activity.
It was also previously reported that the Roblox platform stopped opening in Russia.
Last December, Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Culture and Information Yevgeny Kochetov was asked whether restricting access to or blocking Roblox was being considered in the country. He said that blocking the platform is not currently under discussion.