Filenews 6 February 2026
Parents must be informed and apply the necessary parental controls when children are busy online with games, such as Roblox, digital safety and child protection officials told KYPE. On the other hand, they noted that empowerment, the development of critical thinking and the responsible guidance of the children themselves are also necessary.
On the occasion of the ban on the Roblox platform in a number of countries recently, experts told KYPE that this platform is very widespread among children in Cyprus and the world. According to the company itself, in 2024 40% of its users were under 13 years old. The platform is highly addictive, contains content often inappropriate for children, and can lead to anxiety, bullying, and incitement to violence. At the same time, through the platform, scammers are able to approach minors. Countries such as Egypt, China, Russia, Iran, Turkey have banned its use. European countries have restricted some of the games on the platform, while lawsuits are pending against the company for the above issues in Europe and America.
Cybersecurity expert, Andreas Konstantinidis, Director of Managed Services at Odyssey Cybersecurity, stressed to KYPE that in this type of game, parents are informed and the implementation of the necessary controls on their part.
Asked about how widespread Roblox is and at what ages in Cyprus, Mr. Constantinides said that it is very widespread in all ages, especially young children. "I do voluntary seminars in schools. There is no child who does not play it," he said, noting that the game is accessible from mobile, tablet and computer.
As he explained, it is not a game, but a platform on which one can find many games, for different ages. Some of them may be of an educational type, in others many players play together and there is the possibility of communicating with each other.
Mr. Konstantinidis explained that this particular gaming platform is very addictive and this is one of the reasons why it has been banned in many countries, since addiction and the capabilities of the platform can lead to anxiety, intimidation and incitement to violence. The last country to ban was Egypt, while the game was also banned in Russia, Turkey, China, and Iran.
Answering whether children can access toys that are not aimed at their age, he said that until recently they could more easily. "In the last year Roblox has tightened the measures and there is a clearer way for the user to pass their age, as a result of which some games that are not for their age are not accessible. Of course it is very easy for someone to fool it," he said.
The same, however, does not apply to the chat system, i.e. the system that allows players to talk to each other. After the changes made by the company, it needs to confirm the age, asking for more information from the user, e.g. to scan his face.
"The important changes they made, however, and which are of great interest to parents, are the parental controls within the game." As he explained, the parent can now register and monitor his child, set a usage limit per day, limit his access to toys that are not for his age, prevent him from putting money into the game, prevent him from adding "friends".
"Someone who has their profile open may be added by strangers," he said, noting that no one should have this option enabled. "I always tell children to only add friends you know in real life."
In addition, through this game, children's anxiety and competition can increase, as some may buy "weapons" through play, while other children are not allowed by their parents to make purchases. "There are children who leave a lot of money in the game to buy things, and children compare themselves to each other," he said.
He considers that the changes made by the company, with an increase in controls, are satisfactory. However, it is necessary for parents to be informed about the issue and to be aware of and implement the necessary controls. "Information is needed, the parent needs to get involved, to put their child's profile under control and monitor it." This, after all, should be done for all computer games, not just this one, he said.
On the other hand, Mr. Konstantinidis also pointed out the "positive elements" of the game, as he said. As he explained, Roblox allows children to create their own games, learning the programming language of Roblox, which is very simple, and even make money through it.
As he mentioned, at the Youth Tech festival held on Saturday, February 7 in Limassol, there is the Roblox Game Hackathon, through which children are invited in groups to create a game at that time, in which they will be scored.
He noted that the game should not be demonized. "The company has seemed to respond lately" by adopting the necessary controls, he noted, adding that "it is up to us as parents to supervise and guide."
KYPE asked the Consumer Protection Service, the Police and the Commissioner for the Protection of the Rights of Children whether they have received complaints about this game.
The officer of the Consumer Protection Service, Savvas Savva, told KYPE that so far no complaint or complaint has come before the Service regarding this. He noted that restrictions or penalties imposed on other online platforms were implemented centrally by the European Union.
Maria Pentaliotou, Spokesperson of the Electronic Crime Branch of the Police, told KYPE that electronic games, applications, social networking platforms that allow the direct exchange of messages and files pose risks to children.
"There is an even greater risk in cases where the creation of an account does not require confirmation of the user's details, i.e. name and date of birth. In this case, young children place a different date of birth than the real one, so that they look older and are allowed to create an account," he said. On the other hand, she noted, it is possible for fraudsters to create accounts in these services by declaring a younger age than their real one, in order to approach children.
"The anonymity that exists on the internet also helps perpetrators identify and reach children," she added.
Ms. Pentaliotou said that parents and children should be aware of the dangers lurking on the internet. "The use of such platforms and games must be done correctly and in moderation. Communication with unknown persons always has risks if the child shows trust in the unknown user."
Asked to give advice to parents and children on how to handle the issue, she said that "we do not give our personal information and access to our accounts, we do not meet anyone without informing our parents and always in their presence". She also said that children should know that "we do not take any action that is asked of us if we do not like something and in the event that something bothers us or something bad happens to us, we ask for help from an adult of our trust".
As a rule, she pointed out that "what we don't do in the real world, we don't do in the digital world either".
For their part, she stressed, parents must be vigilant. "They should not rest on their laurels when their child is locked in their room for hours using the internet. I talk to my child, I listen to my child, I support my child!", she said.
KYPE also addressed the Commissioner for Child Protection, Elena Pericleous, about the issue. Following an investigation, the Commissioner stated that her Office has not received any complaints about this platform. However, she linked the issue to the ongoing public debate in Cyprus regarding the regulation of minors' access to social media and the introduction of an age limit of 16 years, noting that this is a crucial step in strengthening the protection of children in the digital environment.
"Any relevant policy or legislative initiative must be interpreted and implemented through the light of the basic principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child," the Commissioner noted. She added that the effective protection of children presupposes education, prevention, participation and equality.
As she mentioned, her Office is proposing the creation of a national framework for children's digital safety, in which children themselves will have a role as co-shapers. She also underlined that protection is not achieved only through prohibitions, but through empowerment, critical thinking and responsible guidance.
"The protection of children online must be set as a national priority, as it is a matter of the highest social responsibility, which touches on the safety, mental health and development of children," she noted, adding that strengthening their protection in the digital environment, through targeted policies, educational initiatives and collaborations at national and European level, is crucial to ensure a safe, accessible and creative internet for children.
Ms. Pericleous told KYPE that her Office is planning and will proceed with the implementation of two campaigns. The first is an awareness campaign for parents, with the aim of informing them about the dangers that children may face online. It will be "an information campaign on the dangers of the internet, but also against digital addiction, which will be carried out under my auspices in collaboration with KENTHEA and the Mediterranean Foundation".
The second campaign concerns raising awareness for children themselves about the dangers of the internet. As she explained, the initiative is addressed by children to children, based on their opinions, needs and desires. "Its goal is for children to become aware of the dangers lurking online, to be informed about the protection tools available and to develop the digital maturity that will allow them to effectively deal with these risks and challenges," she said.
She added, moreover, that the findings and suggestions of the members of the Commissioner's Group of Adolescent Advisors "through two relevant consultations that we had with them will be a key element of the mapping effort that has already been launched, but also the basis for the development of an action plan that will be shaped to the needs of the children, as they are recorded by them".
CNA
