My 7yo is obsessed with Roblox and I'm losing my mind

Nov 291 min read

So my son Jake has been begging for Roblox for months and we finally caved. Now he's on it every single day after school, wants to spend his allowance on robux, and yesterday I caught him watching YouTube videos about Roblox at 9pm when he should've been sleeping. I set parental controls but he keeps asking friends at school how to get around them. Anyone else dealing with this? How do you actually enforce limits without him thinking you're the world's worst parent?

12 comments292 views

Comments(12)

SSam P.Regularjust now

The Robux spending is the real issue here. Have you set a monthly allowance cap or is he unlimited? Because kids don't understand virtual money = real money.

TTom P.Regularjust now

Replying to the YouTube thing - yeah this is it. My son did the same and it was always YouTube that killed the bedtime, not Roblox itself.

AAndy S.Regular18h ago

"Jake" so you're using his real name here but I'm guessing you're managing his account? Because if he has his own login and you're just "setting parental controls," that's not gonna work as well as you think. Does the actual gaming have a time lock or just YouTube?

HHank C.Regular6h ago

The robux spending is the actual problem here, not Roblox itself. That's the monetization trap and kids that age have zero impulse control. You need to either a) eliminate his ability to spend money or b) set a hard allowance cap and make him decide between robux and literally everything else.

SScott W.Regular4h ago

Parental controls on Roblox actually work pretty well - you can set playtime limits, disable chat, limit spending. Have you configured the actual in-app settings or just the device-level stuff?

GGrant C.Regular22h ago

The YouTube rabbit hole is the real trap. That's how he gets sucked in. Maybe disable YouTube after 7pm entirely? Or use something like YT Kids if that helps.

BBob M.Regular2h ago

The YouTube-at-9pm thing is the real issue. That's your actual problem, not Roblox itself. Why is he awake at 9pm and why does he have device access? Those are the things to fix first, then Roblox becomes less of a nightmare.

NNick G.Regularjust now

This is basically the phase where you realize that "parental controls" are a suggestion for kids who listen, not an actual solution. You might need to physically manage the iPad/device instead of relying on settings.

EEli L.Regularjust now

How much allowance are we talking? Because if it's like $5/week and robux costs $5, you have leverage. If it's $20/week then he can fund his Roblox addiction and that's a different problem.

TTyler H.Regularjust now

My 8yo plays Roblox and honestly it's fine in moderation. But the moment he started asking for robux I shut it down. Told him it's his choice: keep playing free games or ask for money. He chooses free games. Might work with Jake?

SSean A.Regular11h ago

The Roblox pipeline is real and it's designed to be addictive so like... don't feel bad for struggling with this. But the YouTube-at-9pm thing means your parental controls aren't actually working. What are you using and how is he bypassing them?

MMark A.Regularjust now

Jake watching YouTube about Roblox at 9pm when he should be sleeping is the actual problem, not Roblox itself. Screen time before bed is going to mess with his sleep. Can you move his gaming to earlier in the day?