New Generations and Their Digital Socialization
The new generations, especially the Alpha generation born between 2010 and 2024-2025, socialize differently. Highly interactive video games are crucial for these digital generations’ relationships. One of the spaces with the most interaction among these young people is Roblox.
Approximately 60% of Roblox users are between the ages of 9 and 16, with over 80 million global users. In Spain alone, it’s the preferred digital space for children aged 4 to 15. This makes Roblox a particularly sensitive environment to harassment and pedophilia.
What is Roblox and the Issues it Raises?
Roblox is a multiplayer platform where users can create objects, constructions, scenarios, characters, and more. From parkour to dungeons, Roblox offers endless possibilities for fun through peer interactions. However, it has recently been in the news due to the dangers lurking rather than its potential for fostering diversity and creativity.
Roblox is an “online ecosystem” where users freely create experiences in the form of mini-games. However, its tools also allow for the creation of insecure environments. If not adequately regulated, inappropriate content can be consumed by minors.
For example, it includes games of “condos,” where sexual content is explicitly shown through naked avatars or simulating sexual acts. These “condos” manage to bypass the platform’s control systems as they are disseminated in other spaces like Discord or TikTok. Moreover, they usually propose entering “condos” with rooms and pools where high sexual content is hidden.
Condos: The Dark Side
The problem with “condos” is that they can be spaces where sexual predators lurk around minors. Recently, the YouTuber Schelp, who had already been a victim of harassment on the platform, was blocked on Roblox despite his fight against sexual predators on the platform.
According to Roblox, Schelp violated their privacy policy by impersonating a minor, inviting alleged predators to other platforms. This way, he could have sexually explicit conversations with them and expose minors. Precisely the same interaction strategy these predators use on Roblox.
The Grooming Phenomenon
Wherever there are young people without apparent control, risks of “grooming” or online harassment by pedophiles can arise. Grooming involves an adult interacting with a minor, gaining their trust, and then requesting sexual images, videos, or interactions that could lead to physical encounters.
Although it may seem isolated, this phenomenon is more common than one might think. International data reveals that harassers (groomers) are typically socially adapted individuals aged 28 to 35. The psychological impact of grooming among its victims makes it one of the biggest risks that platforms face.
Parental Controls and Artificial Intelligence
Most games like Roblox have parental controls that allow limiting chat with strangers. However, this does not mean the risk can be eliminated entirely. The platform’s owner finds these formulas a way to evade responsibility. Following cybersecurity recommendations can ensure safe enjoyment, but digital literacy for minors and their parents and educators is even more crucial to identify and act against grooming risks.
Artificial Intelligence could also be a valuable ally in the fight against grooming. Existing applications use language processing and deep learning models to identify expressions of hate in social media and other digital areas like media. Projects like HATEMEDIA from the International University of La Rioja and SINAI’s work from the University of Jaén, focusing on offensive expressions in X, stand out.
Vigilant Bots
On the other hand, advancements in integrating machine learning models into gaming environments suggest that NPCs (Non-Player Characters) could be used to identify inappropriate practices. This already happens in “Alien: Isolation,” where the Xenomorph character learns from the player’s behavior.
Meta announced incorporating its AI model, Llama, into NPCs in its metaverse, Horizon Worlds. NVIDIA is also working on a similar development based on the ‘Neo-NPC’ concept. This raises new questions: How can we differentiate if an avatar is AI or a human user? What level of free will will these generative bots have in their integration with virtual avatars? Can integrated AI in bots and NPCs be an ally to stop harassment in the digital world?
Meanwhile, Mo Gawdat, former Google executive, predicts we’re entering a dystopian period until 2027 when AI takes full control of the internet. Developers of these platforms will then be obligated to a higher degree of commitment and responsibility.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is Roblox, and why is it a concern? Roblox is a multiplayer platform popular among the Alpha generation (born 2010-2025). Its open-ended creation tools can lead to inappropriate content, making it a sensitive environment for potential harassment and grooming.
- What is “grooming”? Grooming is a form of online harassment where an adult builds trust with a minor to solicit sexual content or arrange physical encounters.
- How can parental controls and AI help? Parental controls limit chat with strangers, while AI can identify inappropriate content or grooming behaviors. However, digital literacy is essential for both minors and their parents to recognize and respond to these risks.
- What are the potential benefits of AI-powered NPCs? AI-driven NPCs could identify and intervene in inappropriate behaviors, enhancing user safety. However, questions remain about their integration with virtual avatars and the distinction between AI and human users.
